A Mother's Diary
by Thomas Mc
Summary: Catherine and Vincent have finally achieved their happy life together, including a home and children, when eight pages torn from an old diary shows up and turns their life and family upside down again.
1. Eight Little Pages

**A Mother's Diary**_**  
**By Thomas Mc_**  
**

* * *

_**Additions:** Due to popular requests a few additional chapters have been added to this story (starting with Chapter 5)_

_. . .  
_

_**Authors Note: **Catherine and Vincent have finally achieved their happy life together, including a home and children, when eight pages torn from an old diary shows up and turns their life and family upside down again. (As always reviews and comments are welcome.)_

_**Note:** The diary section of this chapter is based on the story 'Conquerer' by Orianna-2000 and is used with her permission (I have spoken to her about it). I took a segment from the beginning of that story __and told it from the perspective of the young girl in question, adding a few extra details here and there to fit the story I wanted to tell. This is not an official sequel to Orianna's story (I added too many details that don't match her original concept eg. name and age of the girl, method of escape etc.). If you haven't read 'Conquerer' I would definitely recommend it to you. _

* * *

**Part 1 - Eight Little Pages  
**

It was a warm Friday morning and Catherine was adjusting some of the decorations in the new nursery. After two long grueling weeks, the first round of court wrangling in the Geonelly case had finally ended successfully. As a reward for all their hard work, Joe had given everyone involved the case Friday off to celebrate. She didn't get that many days off so she was just enjoying goofing off around the house with Vincent and being lazy. She was currently setting up a new cartoon character lamp that Joe had given her for the children's nursery.

She still marveled at how well Joe had accepted it when he had finally figured out about Vincent and the tunnel community. She also knew that Joe's acceptance had come after a very long night of very serious soul searching on his part. He had talked about the spirit of the law versus the letter of the law but the end result was that he was okay with Vincent and the things he had done to protect her. She suspected that part of that acceptance was based on the fact that he was very fond of the person Vincent had been protecting at the time. It also didn't hurt that Joe was head over heels in love with a girl that had been born and raised in the tunnels and was very close to Vincent.

Catherine was thinking about how lucky she was in her friendships when the phone rang.

"Hi Cathy, it's Jenny." . . .

Catherine smiled at the sound of her close friend's voice. "Hello Jenny, it's good to hear from you." . . .

"How are my two godchildren doing? And how's Vincent handling fatherhood so far?" . . .

Catherine chuckled. "The twins are right now with Father doing what six-month-olds usually do when they're with their grandfather; Being spoiled rotten. Vincent is down stairs in the kitchen, cooking something for lunch. I think its grilled cheese with bacon and tomatoes." She paused. "And what is this about godchildren? You do know you're Jewish, don't you?" . . .

There was a longer than normal pause at the other end, then, "Cathy," another momentary pause, "I need to see Vincent, Father, and you together as soon as possible. Can you arrange it?" . . .

Catherine realized now that Jenny's voice definitely sounded a bit shaken up. This surprised her because Jenny had always been so unflappable. Now that she had recognized it she was beginning to worry. "Jenny, is something wrong?" . . .

"I wouldn't necessarily say wrong," Jenny paused. "but it **is** very important and it concerns all of you. I believe that it is important that the three of you be together when you hear what I have to tell you." . . .

"Hold on." . . .

Catherine set down the phone and hollered down the stairwell, "Vincent, can you come up here?"

Vincent had already started up as soon as he had felt that sharp twinge of _alarm_ through the bond that they shared. "I'm here love, what is the matter?"

Catherine felt her heart leap as she drank in his powerful build and lion like features. Four years and two children together yet he could still take her breath away just by walking into the room. "Can you get Father to come up for dinner tonight? Jenny says she has something urgent to tell us and she thinks we should all hear it together."

Vincent thought for a few moments, "Yes, I think I can manage it, especially if I tell him it's at Jenny's request. You know Father has always thought very highly of her and he trusts Jenny's judgment implicitly ever since the time he first met her when she brought Rosa and her children to us." He reached out to caress Catherine's cheek. "He is also very aware of how much we all owe her since that time she was able to lead Detective Bennett and myself to you when Gabriel kidnapped you." He nodded. "I'll go down right after lunch. We should be back well before dinner."

"OK." Catherine picked up the phone.

"Jenny, can you come over for dinner around six?" . . .

"Sure Cath, I'll be over as soon as I get out of work. Bye." . . .

"Until six then. Bye." . . .

Catherine slowly hung up the phone, looking at Vincent with a hint of concern in her eyes. In answer to the question she knew Vincent was about to ask, she replied, "I don't know what that was about. She just said it was important. I could tell by the sound of her voice that whatever it was it had her pretty worked up. I've known her a long time and I don't think I've heard her sound like that more that a couple of times." She took Vincent's hand. "She said that there wasn't anything wrong but that it was very important."

Lunch was a little more solemn than usual as they both mulled over the implications of Jenny's call. After lunch they were no wiser as Vincent left to fetch Father and the twins, while Catherine went out to get provisions for a dinner for four. All the time she was shopping her mind was racing around in circles, trying to make some kind of sense out of Jenny's call. The more she thought about it the less sense it made. By the time she started home she had given up trying to figure it out. What could be that important yet not be considered anything necessarily wrong.

Catherine had already started on dinner by the time Vincent got back with Jacob and the twins. She couldn't resist going up and looking on over his shoulder as Jacob settled the babies into the two cribs that Cullen had made for them. The cribs were identical except one had a Winterfest candle carved into the headboard and the other had a rose. They were even equipped with rather ingenious automatic self rockers that Mouse had designed.

Little Jacob, like his father Vincent, looked like a cross between a human and a lion. In fact Father had said he was the spitting image of Vincent at that age, except that he had more reddish brown in his fur and his eyes were Catherine's emerald green. Little Jennifer looked just like Catherine's mother, except that her hair was a thick rich golden blonde like Vincent and her eyes reflected his rich sapphire blue.

Catherine remembered how Doctor Peter Alcott had talked a lot about genetics and X and Y chromosomes, but basically his theory was that all of Catherine and Vincent's male offspring would inherit their father's unique physical traits and the female offspring would take after their mother. He also believed that only the males would carry the genes that could produce someone like Vincent. Only time and more offspring would tell. That concept, in particular, brought a shy smile out in her. She found it amazing that she now was thinking in terms of additional children and even, possibly, grandchildren.

Finally the twins fell asleep and everyone moved downstairs. There was more speculation about what Jenny might want to talk to them about but no one could come up with a rational explanation for her rather mysterious hints.

Jenny showed up just as the food was ready to be served. She refused to say what this gathering was about until after dinner. "I'm hungry and I just think it would be better to talk about this after we've all eaten." She looked over at her purse then back at them. "This could be a very long night."

The meal was filled with standard mealtime topics, but the undercurrent was incredible. Everyone could feel the tension that was so thick you could cut it with a chainsaw and they all noticed that Jenny kept glancing at Vincent with an almost unreadable expression on her face, as though trying to decide what to say or do. - Catherine noticed that Jenny seemed to be having difficulty concentrating and often seemed to lose the thread of whatever topic they were discussing. She also noticed that Jenny several times glanced over at her purse and that she was drinking a little more of the wine than her normal rate of consumption. - Vincent could sense that her emotions were in great turmoil but _concern, uncertainty,_ _hopefulness_, and _amazement_ seemed to dominate with a bit of _worry_ creeping in. He also felt an occasional flash of _sympathy_ whenever he saw her glancing at her purse. - Jacob noticed that Jenny kept looking over at Vincent with a speculative expression. He also noticed that she seemed unusually fidgety.

The three of them were being overwhelmed with curiosity but until she was ready to enlighten them, they could only speculate. Vincent suspected that the it must have something to do with the tunnels or the tunnel community. Catherine had decided that Jenny must have found out something important about one of the denizens from Below; Possibly Naomi, since all three of them had become very attached to her. Jacob had just about concluded that the big mystery had something to with Vincent. He was a little afraid that maybe someone important had seen Vincent during one of his excursions Above.

When the dinner was over Jenny suggested they move into the living room and get comfortable. After they were seated, Jenny began pacing back and forth in front of them for several seconds, trying to organize her thoughts. She stopped and took a deep breath. "Ok. Here goes. I've been going over this all day trying to decide exactly how to tell you about this . . . development. When I first found out about it I couldn't decide which of you I should tell first. Finally I decided that the only thing was to tell all three of you together. I just hope I can tell this right."

Jenny paused considering her words, took a sip of her wine then, with another deep breath, she plunged in. "We have a young co-worker that has been with us for a little over three years. His name is Dennis McCormick and he works in my department as a proofreader, specializing in fantasy and science fiction. Dennis is twenty-four years old, has no siblings, and this last year his father died in a car crash. He was hit head on by a drunk driver. His mother didn't like living alone so he invited her to come to New York to stay with him. He told me that it took a lot of convincing to get her to come to New York but he finally talked her into it. She had been living in Arizona for the last thirty-four years."

Jenny paused to take a sip of her wine. "This morning he told me that while helping to unpack his mother's belongings he came across what at first looked like some pages, written in his mother's handwriting, that had been torn out of a diary. When he looked more closely it turned out to be part of a story she had written. He wanted to know if we could find a ghost writer that could flesh it out and turn it into a sci-fi thriller story that we could publish for her."

At that point Jenny reached into her handbag and pulled out some very old, hand-written, pages that appeared to have been torn from a book. She glanced down at them for a second then continued. "After I read this I knew that I had to bring it to you. I think after you hear what's written on these you will understand why. There are only eight pages and the beginning is missing so it starts somewhere in the middle of the story." As the three leaned towards her in rapt attention they could see the neat faded handwriting on the loose and torn pages as Jenny cleared her throat and began to read.

. . .

* * *

_**... **_**_of being tied to some kind of hard cold table and tormented by terrible pain inside my belly. Finally I snapped out of it. The pain was gone but I felt an odd wrongness around my middle._**

**_I had no idea what Julian had done to me. All I knew was that I was now a prisoner of my employer and my life had become a constant nightmare. Every few days Julian and some of his goons would drag me into some kind of lab, strap me to a table and do all kinds of strange medical things to me._**

**_For weeks all I thought about was escape. Several times I tried to get away but Julian had too many guards and the wall around the place was too high for me to climb. I never got very far and Julian always came up with horribly painful ways to punish me for trying._**

**_I had been there a couple of months when I realized that I was pregnant. Several weeks later I found out that Julian only wanted the baby and I was to be eliminated after it was born. I was in real trouble and I couldn't figure any way out. I kept wishing that I had paid more attention to my gut feelings when I first answered that advertisement of his. I should have left that first day and never gone back, but I was seventeen and I had desperately needed a job._**

**_Once I knew I was pregnant I quit trying to escape. I decided to lay low and I just watched everything that went on in that house waiting for my chance. A couple of times I was even able to cause some little disasters without anyone knowing I was involved. After each accident, people involved would disappear. I had overheard some of the people there say that if Julian was unhappy with you, he didn't fire you, he terminated you. Permanently. I felt guilty about this until I convinced myself that anyone who worked for that evil man deserved what they got. Besides the disasters made them all jumpy and I hoped that jumpy people would get careless._**

**_After several months when I was getting close to my time I finally got a break. Most of the people at the house came down with the flu but they were all so terrified of Julian, they just showed up for work, sick or not. A few months earlier Julian had made it clear that being sick was not acceptable and would not be tolerated. I had even overheard one of them say that this flu was caused by something that Julian had done. Whatever the cause, It gave me the opening I had been hoping for._**

**_So I watched and waited and prayed that I didn't get sick as well. Finally, after a couple of days, I got a moment when everyone in the area where I was being kept was ether dozing in a corner or in the toilet or puking in some trash can. I was ready. I used the oldest trick in the book. I stuffed everything I could find under the covers so it looked like I was still there. I just walked out with nothing but the clothes on my back, two thin robes and a light coat that someone had left on the coat hook by the side door. I was hoping that everyone would be tied up in their own misery for a while and I would get ten or twenty minutes before they thought to check up on me. I knew that anyone Julian decided was responsible for my escape would disappear like the rest. This gave me a momentary twinge of guilt. But if I stayed, I knew that I would be dead by tomorrow, because I was already starting to have contractions._**

**_The cold hit me as soon as I got out of that house. I ran as fast as my pregnant belly would allow me. When I reached the wall I followed it to the gate. My luck continued to hold. The smaller side gate was unlocked and the guard was busy throwing up behind the guard house. Just beyond the gate were several apartments. When I reached them I didn't try to stop there for help. I had already made that mistake once before. I knew most of them worked for Julian so I just stole one of their cars. I had only lived in the city for a short time and I still didn't know my way around. I intended to drive straight through the city and just keep on going southwest till I found a safe place to stop. Unfortunately, things started to go wrong about the time I reached the middle of the city. First my water broke as I was passing Central Park. It wasn't my car so I just ignored the mess and kept on driving. Then I found myself on a traffic circle. I must have gone around it twice before I just picked a street that appeared to head away from the park. I thought if I just headed straight I would eventually reach the edge of the city. Then I ran out of gas right near a place that I think was Madison Square Garden. I was barely able to keep it running long enough to pull into some kind of loading dock. I left the car behind and continued south on foot sticking to what little cover I could find. The few people that noticed me tended to avoid me. They probably thought I was some kind of street person. I was unkempt, stumbling and soaked from the waist down, but I had to keep moving._**

**_I finally wound up in some dark alley. By that time I had no idea where I was and I was too tired to think. Every time I breathed I made clouds in the cold air and my wet clothes only made the cold worse. By now I was so cold I was shivering violently, which didn't make the contractions any easier. I knew I shouldn't stop but I was cold and hungry and the contractions were coming faster and harder. If Julian's men weren't out looking for me, they soon would be and he had contacts all through the city. I saw headlights at the end of the alley so I hid in the shadows behind a dumpster. Just at that moment another contraction hit me. The pain was almost more than I could stand. I bit down hard on the sleeve of my coat to keep from screaming. The car passed the alley and was gone. I realized that I was now sitting on the ground next to a bunch of garbage bags but I was too tired to get up._**

**_I knew I had to find shelter soon but I had no friends or family that I could go to for help. I had only been in New York for three months when Julian had imprisoned me. I had run away from an abusive step father two years ago and there was no way in hell I would ever go back there._**

**_Julian had a lot of wealth and influence. I knew that he would be checking all the hospitals so I couldn't go there. I also couldn't go to the police because I knew he had several of them in his pocket. If I was found anywhere in the city, Julian would find out and I would be caught. I knew that I needed to keep moving but I was so tired and my whole body ached. I tried to get up but another contraction hit and all I could do was crumple to the pavement as the contractions just kept coming._**

**_The contractions suddenly stopped and I felt the need to push. The baby came out so soon it took me a second to realize it was over. I picked it up and held it close to my chest to try and shield it from the cold. Finally I looked down and I got my first good look at it. A shiver ran through me that had nothing to do with the cold and I cried out as I finally realized what that evil man had done to me. Its face was more cat like than human. It had claws where its fingernails ought to be. Its body was covered with a thick fur. It looked like a cross between a baby and a lion cub. It wasn't crying and it appeared to be having trouble breathing. It was getting weaker every second as I sat there and held it and I didn't think it would survive for very long. I was very afraid of being caught but in a way I felt drawn to this creature. It was a monster but it was also my child. I had carried it inside my body for months and given life to it. But now it looked like it was already dying and I could get away a lot easier if I didn't have it with me. I still needed to make it out of town. I started crying, both for the tiny monster as well as for myself. It was just so damned unfair._**

**_I was scared, alone, and I had no idea what I was supposed to do. I remembered something about tying and cutting the cord so I found a piece of string and tied it around the umbilical cord and then I used a piece of broken glass to cut it. I was trying to figure out what to do next, then the afterbirth came. I picked it up and tossed it in the dumpster. I felt I had to hide the evidence. As I look back now, I don't believe I was thinking too clearly at that time._**

**_I knew Julian would have his contacts looking for a pregnant woman, or else a woman with a newborn infant. If I was caught, I would die and the poor creature would be left to be poked and prodded and experimented on. Looking as carefully as I could through blurry eyes, I could barely detect any breathing. I wasn't willing to leave the poor thing exposed to the bitter cold. Even if it was dying, it was still my child. I looked around the dark alley. I could barely make out the word 'HOSPITAL' stenciled on the rusty and dirty side of the dumpster I had hidden behind. I thought maybe I could find an old hospital gown or maybe some sheets, but all I could find was some torn towels. I wrapped my baby in the towels. Then I checked him again and he was no longer breathing._**

**_For a long time, I just sat there holding my dead baby in my arms and cried. I knew I had to get moving but I just couldn't bring myself to let go. I don't know how long I sat there crying over my poor dead child. Even today, a feeling of profound loss overcomes me whenever I think about that lost child of mine. After a while, I heard some voices coming from the far end of the alley and I knew I had run out of time. I quickly placed the little body where they wouldn't find it, in the pile of garbage stacked next to the dumpster. Better it should lie peacefully in some anonymous trash dump than be dissected and experimented on by the likes of Julian. I said a short prayer for the poor little creature's soul as I staggered away from there. Hugging the shadows against the wall, I adding a final request to my prayer that I would not be seen as I reached the corner of the building._**

**_When I rounded the corner I stopped and looked back. I saw three street people approaching the alley. There were two men and a woman walking together. They passed under a light and I could see them very clearly. One man was very tall, the other man was shorter and was using an odd looking cane and had an obvious limp. The woman was pretty and was walking arm in arm with the tall man. They looked like they might be in their mid-twenties. They were dressed like street people but, the strange thing was, they appeared to be well groomed and too healthy to be homeless. I could just barely catch occasional snatches of their conversation and I did hear that the tall one was named John and the lame one was Jacob. I never did catch the woman's name._**

**_I don't really know why I kept watching them for so long, but I just couldn't help myself. Even today I can still picture the three of them clearly. As they got closer I thought the woman may have heard me because she had stopped and was looking in my direction and listening intently. I decided to get out of there before I was discovered. I started crying again as I headed south through the city. My baby was gone, my whole body hurt, and I was cold and exhausted. I wasn't even sure where I was or if I was still going the right direction. I was crying so much that I could barely see where I was going. I was stumbling around like a drunk wino, and I knew I wouldn't last much longer._**

**_After what seemed like an eternity of stumbling from one corner to another, I finally came to a bridge just as the sky was beginning to get light. The bridge looked to be over a hundred years old and vaguely familiar. All I knew was that I was finally headed out of the city as I started across. I had reached a spot somewhere near the middle of the bridge and I had begun thinking that I might just make it after all when the last of my strength finally gave out and I could go no further. Blinded by the sun in my eyes and weeping in anger, fear and despair, I sank to my knees. That's when _**_**...  
**_

* * *

. . .

After a several seconds pause Jenny cleared her throat and continued, "That's ..." she sniffed once. "That's where it ends. The bottom of the last page is torn off." She sat down heavily in the chair opposite her stunned audience, completely drained emotionally.

**_Continued in part 2_**

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	2. Scars of the Past

**A Mother's Diary**_  
By Thomas Mc_**  
**

* * *

**Part 2 - ****Scars Of The Past**

As Jenny sat in the chair opposite her stunned audience. She could see the same emotions playing across their faces that she had felt after she had first read these pages. She knew from the stories that Father had told her of finding Vincent that this story was probably an accurate account of the girl's experience. No matter what the results, she felt that they needed to know the truth about what happened in that alley that night. She just prayed that bringing this to them had been the right decision.

For a long time they all just sat there. The room was now so quiet the only sound to be heard was the breathing of four people. Catherine, Vincent and Father all had tears in their eyes. The emotional maelstrom whirling inside them plainly visible on each of their faces as they looked at each other.

Jenny had a lump in her throat and could feel tears welling up in her eyes again as she stared at her three friends. This was the third time Jenny had read these eight pages and the effect was just as powerful as the first time. She looked down at her hands which were shaking from the emotional impact of the pages they were holding. She could barely imagine what it must be like for Vincent, Catherine and Father who were far more personally involved in what those pages had to tell

Catherine was gripping Vincent's hand with a crushing strength that surprised him. Listening to the story on those pages had been an emotional roller coaster ride for her. Doubly so because she had been feeling Vincent's emotions as well as her own. The horror of what that young woman had endured had torn at her heart. Her blood had run cold when Jenny had finished the passage that described the woman's first sight of the newborn infant. She had felt the emotional shock of Vincent's realization that this was about his own birth.

Jacob was having difficulty getting his rapidly shifting mind to settle. Vincent's mother was alive? And living in the city? How would this effect Vincent? What should they do about it? What might have happened if he, John and Anna had arrived in that alley a few minutes sooner? What about the hell that poor woman went through? How would she feel about Vincent now? What will Vincent do? So many questions; so many possibilities.

Vincent was the first one to speak, determination in his eyes, his voice rough with emotion. "I **have** to meet her!"

Father spoke up, his voice just as rough as Vincent's, "Are you . . ." His voice broke, and he cleared his throat, "Are you sure that's what you want?" He cleared his throat again. "This is going to be an extremely emotional event both for you and for her." He fixed Vincent with his gaze. "Are you sure you're ready for that?"

"Yes." There was a firm conviction in Vincent's voice, though Catherine could clearly sense a tiny seed of _doubt_ in him.

Finally Catherine spoke as she stared at Vincent, "I think they should meet." She too was having trouble keeping her voice under control and stopped to clear her throat. "I think they **must** meet." She turned to Jenny who's intuition and judgment about people, she had long ago learned to trust. "Jenny, what do you think? Is this feasible? Is it advisable?" Suddenly the questions just started pouring out of her, beyond her control. "And what about Dennis? What type of person is he? Shouldn't he be included? Can he accept someone like Vincent? Does his mother know that Dennis had those?" She pointed to the pages in Jenny's hand as she finally reigned herself in and shut-up.

"I've known Dennis ever since he came to work for me. He is one of the sweetest people I know next to Vincent. In fact after reading this," Jenny handed the pages to Vincent who took them and held them as though they were a very rare, very precious first edition book. "I think I now know where Vincent's gentle nature comes from. He's the type of unflappable person that tends to take everything in stride and I don't think he would have too much trouble accepting Vincent." She paused, "I don't believe his mother knows that he has those pages and he still thinks it's just some fantasy story that she wrote when she was younger." Jenny thought for a moment, "I think you should all be there to meet them both. Father how do you feel about introducing both of them to you, Cathy and Vincent?"

Jacob thought about it for a couple of very long seconds, while glancing at the pages in Vincent's hands and the look in his adopted son's eyes, before he spoke. "I know that there is a great risk of exposure and terrible emotional harm if this should go badly," He paused to consider his next words, then cleared his throat, looking up at Jenny. "but I think you're right, they should both be there when we meet. The additional emotional support they would provide each other could be invaluable. If this goes well, a lot of old wounds could be healed . . ." He looked over at Vincent. ". . . for both of them."

Vincent looked over at an elegant clock on the fireplace mantle then spoke up, "It's only a little before eight o'clock. Do you think you could arrange a meeting tonight?" The expression on his face showed that he was hoping the answer would be yes.

Jenny thought for a moment. "I think it can be arranged." She looked at Vincent. "Where would you want to meet? Maybe some neutral location like at my place?"

It was Catherine that answered, looking at Vincent and Jacob as she spoke. "No . . . I think if we are going to do this, we should go the whole way. I think we should meet here. And if everything goes well and Father approves, maybe we can take them Below and show them where Vincent grew up. If it goes badly we can seal up our tunnel access and Vincent and the twins can disappear for a while 'til things sort themselves out." She now looked to Jacob to gauge his response. "I know it's a big risk, but I think it's the right thing to do, Father."

Jacob looked down at the pages in Vincent's hands, up to Vincent's face, then back to Catherine, "I think Catherine is right. That would probably be the best way to handle this." He paused a beat, "By the way what is her name? You haven't said."

"Oh, didn't I tell you?" Jenny broke into a big grin. "Her name is Jennifer. Can I use your phone?" Jenny chuckled as she went over to the phone while Vincent, Jacob and Catherine just stared at each other, stunned. When Vincent was very young he had created an imaginary mother for himself and named her Jennifer. That had been why they had chosen Jennifer as their daughter's name.

Jenny picked up the phone and, after consulting a piece of paper, dialed a number.

"Hello, Dennis. It's Jenny." . . .

"Yes, I showed it to some people I know and they are very interested in talking to you and your mother tonight." . . .

"If at all possible, yes." . . .

"If I come by in an hour, could you both be ready to come with me to meet them?" . . .

"Yes, I do. I think this could be very important to both of you." . . .

"Good. I'll see you in an hour." . . .

"You don't need to worry about that. Just tell her." . . .

"I don't think you'll regret this." . . .

"Bye."

Jenny hung up then immediately called for a taxi.

After a short discussion on how best to stage manage the upcoming meeting, the taxi showed up and Jenny left. While she was gone Catherine and Jacob fidgeted around the house trying to get ready. Vincent just sat there, flipping through the pages, reading and touching them as though trying to reassure himself that they were real. A couple of times Catherine went over and gently touched him projecting her love and support over their link. She knew how much this meant to him. So many questions that had plagued him all his life had just been answered by these pages and hopefully his long lost mother would soon be here to fill in the rest.

After about an hour Catherine began to sense an _uneasiness_ in Vincent that seemed to be growing. As she was coming over to see what was bothering him, he jumped up and started pacing. "Vincent, are you OK?" He didn't seem to have heard her as he continued to pace, getting more agitated by the second. Catherine could clearly feel both _anxiety_ and _anger_ growing rapidly inside him. She raised her voice to try to get through to him. "Vincent, What's wrong?" He continued to pace. Finally she got his attention by the simple expedient of blocking his path. "Vincent, talk to me! What's wrong?"

Vincent shifted back and forth on his feet a few times. He seemed unable to look at her. Finally he began talking. "This was a mistake." He resumed his pacing. "How can she look at me with anything but revulsion after what that monster, Julian did to her. I'm nothing more than the product of that evil man's designs, forced on her against her will."

Jacob felt suddenly in over his head. It had been years since he had seen Vincent this upset over his uniqueness and Jacob found himself uncertain what he should say. It had always hurt him to see his adopted son like this but in this case Vincent had only given voice to the same doubts that had begun to echo within his own mind. He fell back on the same old phrases he had used before. "Vincent, it doesn't matter how you came to be." Jacob stated, trying to calm and reassure him. "It's who you are, who you have become that counts."

Vincent stopped and stared at Jacob. "And what am I? You heard what she wrote. '_I got my first look at** IT**. A shiver ran through me that had nothing to do with the cold and I cried out as I finally realized what that evil man had done to me._' … **Look at me**." He threw the pages down, scattering them across the floor. "How can we do this to that woman! One look …" Vincent's voice cracked. He paused looking down at Catherine as she was on her knees collecting the pages from the floor. "One look at me will just remind her of what happened to her. How can we bring all that pain back to her." He dropped his head and his voice as Catherine stood up. "It would be better to let her continue to think I died in that alley."

Vincent suddenly looked up in surprised, as he was hit by an almost incandescent flair of _anger_ coming from Catherine. "**Yes, I heard what she wrote but apparently you didn't.**" Catherine slammed the pages into his chest with a force that rocked him causing him to grab them reflexively. As he stared at her in astonishment she began to read from the page that she was still holding in her other hand. "_For a long time, I just sat there holding **my** dead baby in my arms and **cried**._ "… The flash of anger was gone and had been replaced by a sense of _sorrow_ and _loss_ as she continued to read. "_Even today, a feeling of profound loss overcomes me whenever I think about that lost child of mine_." She looked up into his eyes. "She **loved** you, Vincent, regardless of how you looked. She **cried** over you. Even much later when she wrote this," Catherine waved the page she was holding, "she still missed you and regretted your loss." There were now tears in Catherine's eyes. "You were the one **good** thing that came out of that terrible ordeal." She gently placed the page she held in his stunned, nerveless hands. "Don't rob her of the chance to get back the one thing that she regrets losing that night." Catherine placed her hand on his arm. "Don't rob our children of the chance to know their grandmother." Her love was now flowing over him like the tide through their bond. "At least give her a chance. Based on what I read and heard, seeing you may just heal an ache that has haunted her for thirty-five years. You owe her this much." She put her arms around him. "And you need this just as much as I think she does. You need it to finally put those doubts and fears, that have always plagued you, to rest."

Jacob stared at Catherine in stunned amazement.

Vincent put his arms around her, almost without realizing it. "You're right. … I'm sorry, Catherine. You have shown me many times that I have nothing to be ashamed of … but sometimes the old fears can still haunt me." He lay his cheek against the top of her head. "I love you so much. You remind me of how much I do have."

"I know, Love." She responded softly. "That's why I'm here. To keep reminding you." Then she chuckled wickedly. "And because you're so damn good in bed."

"**Catherine**!" Vincent's face turned bright red, even through his fur.

Jacob belatedly smothered a chuckle as he observed, first hand, a phenomenon he had only recently heard about. Vincent could blush. His admiration for this incredible woman that his son had married overwhelmed him as he realized how perfectly she had handled Vincent's bout of self doubt. Once again she had gotten Vincent through a crises as only **she** could. Then it occurred to him that Catherine's words had been meant for him, as well as Vincent. Once again, as had become a habit recently, he blessed the day that Vincent found her.

Catherine breathed a sigh of relief. It had been close. Despite her best efforts there were some old scar's that were still not completely healed. She had been half expecting this outburst since she first heard the lines that had set him off but she had almost forgotten about it in the excitement of the moment. His explosion had caught her off guard. Fortunately, she had already latched on to the other lines that she had used as rebuttal and her own anger had carried her through. Hopefully, if this reunion went well, that particular scar might finally be healed.

~ o ~

Jennifer McCormick was very agitated by the time her son's friend Jenny arrived. Dennis had told her about finding the diary pages and giving them to Jenny nearly an hour ago. After all these years her past was catching up to her. She had thought that the diary had been destroyed years ago, right after Dennis was born, and the idea that part of it was still around and in someone else's hands terrified her. The uncertainty that she felt because she didn't even know which pages had survived or what information might be on them only made it worse. If those pages fell into the wrong hands it could be disastrous for both her and for Dennis. And how could she possibly explain to her son why those pages were so dangerous. What would Dennis think of her if he did find out the truth of what happened back then and what she had done? Would he even understand why she had left her dead baby behind in a pile of garbage to save herself? To this day there was still a large slice of shame mixed in with the profound sense of loss she felt whenever she thought of that night. It was too late to do anything about it now. All she could do was to keep her anxiety under control, try to keep her wits about her and hope for the best. Maybe it was still possible to prevent the story from being published. Julian was dead but his son Gabriel was probably still around somewhere so there were still people out there that would kill her and possibly kill Dennis.

Jennifer didn't feel particularly reassured when they pulled up in front of an elegant and very expensive brownstone that faced the park. Only someone with a lot of wealth and influence could live in a place like this.

Jenny spoke up. "There's nothing to worry about, Mrs. McCormick." She got out of the taxi then poked her head in through the opened car door. "These people are very close friends of mine and I know that they would never harm you."

Reluctantly, Jennifer got out of the taxi, wondering how this woman could know about her fears. Nervously, she followed Jenny across the street towards the grand old brownstone. Her son was walking beside her totally unaware of the danger they were in. They were halfway across the street when her anxiety level went through the roof. She had noticed a black sedan, with four men in it, pull up and park less than thirty feet away. The appearance of that car took her back thirty-five years. Suddenly, she felt like that scared teenager again, but it was too late to turn back. With their taxi leaving and those men now sitting out front, it would probably be futile to try making a break now. She could almost feel the menace radiating from that black sedan. She would just have to wait until the right opportunity presented itself.

Jennifer grabbed Jenny's sleeve and stopped them in the middle of the road then she hissed urgently to Dennis and Jenny. "Listen to me very carefully. If I say run, don't wait, don't ask questions, and don't worry about me. Just run away as far and as fast as you can into the park. After you get away don't go home, just find a place of safety where no one will think to look for you, including me. Don't come out of hiding, no matter what, until you are positive no one is looking for you." Then she continued walking towards the brownstone.

Jenny had just noticed the black sedan drive up and was beginning to worry about it when she was distracted by Jennifer's unexpected warning. She thought she understood why and, with a look of sympathetic understanding in her eyes, Jenny tried to reassure Jennifer. "No one here means you any harm, believe me. In fact, by the time this night is over, I believe you will be very happy that you came."

Jennifer believed that Jenny was sincere, but that car with the four men filled her with dread.

Dennis looked at is mother in shocked surprise. The look in her eyes had sent a chill up his spine. This was not the kind of reaction he had expected. He had noticed that she had been unusually quiet all the way over here and now this ominous warning. In fact he now realized that she had been acting strange ever since he had told her about the diary pages a little over an hour ago. She wasn't just nervous or worried, she had looked positively terrified. Now that he thought about it, Jenny had also acted very odd and distracted after reading those pages. There was definitely a lot more going on here than he had realized, and somehow it all seemed to revolve around those diary pages. What he couldn't understand was how a silly little piece of a fantasy thriller story written in his mother's youth could be having such a profound effect.

As they walked the rest of the way, across the street to the brownstone Jennifer steeled herself for action. If necessary she would somehow delay them long enough for her son and Jenny to make an escape. She would just have to wait for her chance, like the last time, and hope they got a lucky break.

When they reached the bottom of the steps the front door opened. As they ascended the steps they were greeted by a very beautiful, elegantly dressed woman that appeared to be in her early thirties. Jennifer thought that there was something very familiar about her. The woman had a pleasant voice and a kind manner as she greeted them. "Hello, Jennifer, Dennis. Welcome to my home. My name is Catherine Chandler-Wells. I am so pleased to meet you both. Please come in."

Jenny caught the addition of Wells to Catherine's name when introducing herself and smiled. This was the first time she had heard Cathy introduce herself that way.

Both Dennis and Jennifer recognized the woman, at the same time, as the wealthy heiress Catherine Chandler. She had been in the papers recently for being involved in the prosecution of several high profile criminal cases. She had also recently become known for her philanthropic endeavors, including the newly created Wells-Chandler Foundation. There had also been something in the papers a month ago about a new daughter.

They also remembered reading about when she had disappeared so mysteriously for ten days before showing up all cut up and badly beaten, several years ago. The newspapers had been full of the story for weeks. There had been a great deal of speculation about who could have found and cared for her during those missing ten days.

Dennis now remembered that Jenny's best friend supposedly worked for the District Attorney. He kept wondering what all this had to do with his mother and those cursed pages he had found. Nighttime meetings with someone from the district attorney's office and his mother absolutely terrified for their safety? What exactly was going on here?

Jennifer was now very confused. What could a wealthy socialite or possibly someone from the District Attorney's office have to do with this. She remembered that Julian had mentioned an inside man at the DA's office, but that was so long ago and she had no idea how much of Julian's organization might have survived over the last thirty-five years. Regardless she had the feeling that this woman was someone she could trust and her intuition had never led her wrong.

As they entered, Jennifer noticed an elderly man, dressed like a common street person, leaning on a cane and looking so incongruous standing in the center of such an elegantly furnished living room. Behind him the view was dominated by a magnificent spiral staircase. On the low coffee table in front of the old man she recognized the torn pages from her old journal that had caused all this trouble. There was also something vaguely familiar about that old man but she couldn't quite place him. She found it disconcerting the way he was staring at her so intently as they entered. He seemed to be studying her, judging her but she could see no hostility or malice in his look. She knew she had become the center of attention and she could sense some wariness but as of yet she didn't feel any real threat. She had always been very perceptive about other people and over the years, since that disaster with Julian, she had learned to trust her instincts. She remembered how Bill had been convinced that she could read other peoples emotions.

The first thought that went through Jacob's mind was that the woman was so small. She couldn't be much over five feet tall. When they were all inside and the door closed the man introduced himself. "Hello Mrs. McCormick, I'm so pleased to meet you. My name is Jacob Wells. Please come in and sit down." He paused as Catherine escorted them both towards the table where the pages rested.

Dennis looked in surprise at the older man. Wells? She had called herself 'Chandler-Wells'. He glanced at the rather simple silver ring on her finger. Was this the unidentified father of Catherine's new baby.

As Jennifer stared down at the pages anxiously, Jacob continued. "I think the last time we crossed paths was around thirty-five years ago." Jennifer looked up startled. "I was with a friend of mine named John and his wife Anna." Jennifer noticed that a momentary look of pain crossed the old man's face as he spoke those two names. "But we were not aware of your presence in that alley at that time." He gestured towards the old diary pages. "That **was** you in that story, wasn't it?" He was gazing at her with an intensity that was disconcerting.

She Looked more closely at the older man, 'Jacob', she corrected herself. Though he looked much older now, she definitely recognized him from that night in the alley and tears began to form in her eyes as she remembered her lost child. Her legs went weak and she abruptly sat down in the chair that Catherine had fortunately shifted over behind her. With a feeling hovering between wonder and dread, she finally responded. "I do remember you." There was a long pause as she dredged up memories of that terrible night of fear, pain and flight. "I remember. You were in the alley with those two others that night." She took a deep shuddering breath and nodded. "Yes, that was me."

Dennis was looking back and forth in shock between his mother and the old man. They were saying that the story in those diary pages was true? Then all that was implied hit him. A dead monster baby abandoned in a dark alley! His mother desperately running for her life from some fiendish horror named Julian! His whole world view had suddenly been turned upside down. He looked down at the pages on the table. And now thirty-five years later it was all coming back to haunt her just because he had found those damned diary pages. He glanced over at Catherine. What did the D.A. have to do with this? Surely they wouldn't charge his mother for something she did thirty-five years ago when she was running for her life. Catherine came up to him and gently urged him over to a chair by his mother. Slowly he reached down and took his mothers hand and gave it a squeeze to reassure her. She looked up at him in gratitude for his understanding and support.

Meanwhile Catherine and Jenny joined Jacob and they all sat on the sofa opposite Dennis and Jennifer. Then Jacob continued speaking. "To begin with, Anna, the woman you saw with us, heard a weak cry and, while investigating it, found your baby where you had hidden it beside the dumpster." Jacob reached across the low table and took Jennifer's free hand, that had been slowly creeping towards the pages, giving it a gentle squeeze. "The infant was still just barely alive but he was fading fast. His breathing was so shallow that it's not surprising that you thought he was already dead. We took the baby with us to a special place of safety. It wasn't easy but we were able to save his life and I raised him as though he was my own son." Jacob paused and gave her hand another squeeze. "Jennifer, he survived and he has grown up to happy and healthy manhood."

Dennis sat down heavily in the chair Catherine had positioned behind him. Stunned, he looked over at his mother and he saw tears running down her cheeks. He felt like he had just wandered out of the real world and into one of those fantastic fantasy stories that he dealt with all the time at work.

At this point Catherine took up the narrative. "Since they found him behind St. Vincent Hospital, they named him Vincent." Catherine took a deep breath and a sparkle appeared in her eyes. "Since you are apparently Vincent's mother, I guess that makes you my mother-in-law." Then into the stunned silence she called out, "Vincent, I think you can come down now."

All of the evening's revelations finally hit Jennifer all at once like a ton of bricks. Her baby was alive! And he was married to Catherine Chandler?

Dennis was staring, stunned at Catherine. The creature in the story was real, alive, and married to her!

Seeing the stunned look on Jennifer's face, Catherine came around, sat on the arm of her chair, taking the hand that Jacob had just released and gave it a gentle reassuring pat. There were now tears forming in Catherine's eyes again as well while she looked down at this woman she had just met. Over their link Catherine could also feel the emotions swirling through Vincent's mind.

Then everyone's attention was drawn to the sound of boots coming down the stairs. The first impression Jennifer and Dennis had was of great power and grace. Then the hands came into view on the stair handrails. They were covered in golden fur with long sharp claws clearly visible on the ends of his fingers.

Dennis also noticed the silver band on his fur covered finger that matched the one on Catherine. He could no longer deny the realization that it was all true. Even the more fantastic aspects of the story. The proof was coming down the stairs right there before him.

_**Continued in part 3**_

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	3. Reunion

**A Mother's Diary**_**  
**By Thomas Mc_**  
**

* * *

**Part 3 - ****Reunion**

Everyone in the parlor held their breath as Vincent descended the spiral stairs. Dennis felt like he was losing his grip on reality as he watched the incredible creature that was coming down the stairs right there before his eyes. Jennifer could barely control her wildly careening emotions as her heart beat against her chest like a hammer.

As Vincent reached the bottom of the stairs, Jennifer was trembling, overcome with several different emotions fighting it out for dominance inside her. Dennis just stared, first at Vincent, then at his mother, then back at Vincent. He was totally overcome by his conflicting emotions.

There was a shimmer in Vincent's eyes and on his face a look of hopeful uncertainty as he stood at the bottom of the stairs. For several seconds no one moved. The universe itself seemed to hold it's breath. Then Vincent uttered one word. "Mother?" It was both a question and a plea.

This was the critical moment when several destines hung in the balance. There was dead silence and everyone else in the room seemed to be holding their breath, their attention riveted on Jennifer, as they waited to see how she would react. Very slowly Jennifer rose from her chair, still holding on to Dennis' and Catherine's hands like her life depended on it. Her legs felt so rubbery she was afraid they would give way beneath her any second. Her whole life up until now seemed to be centered on this moment. She haltingly made her way over to Vincent. Cautiously, Jennifer let go of Catherine's hand. She reached up and touched Vincent's cheek, wiping away the tear that she found there.

"Vincent?" There was longing in her voice and in her tumultuous emotions as she said his name.

They stood facing each other for a few moments that seemed to last forever, then suddenly Jennifer let go of her son's hand, threw her arms around Vincent and hugged him with all the strength in her body. "**Your real, . . . your alive**." She began to weep openly her face pressed against his chest, her tears soaking into his shirt. Vincent slowly put his arms around her a look of joy filling his face.

Being shorter than Catherine, Jennifer looked so tiny and frail standing there enveloped in Vincent's powerful arms. Dennis was having difficulty sorting out all his thoughts and emotions as he watched the scene before him. His mind was still reeling from the unreality of what he was looking at. He had not wanted to get this close to the creature before him but he couldn't abandon his mother. Now dozens of emotions were chasing each other through his mind as he watched his mother being embraced by this frighteningly real lion man. She looked so small and vulnerable engulfed in the embrace of this powerful and dangerous looking creature. Dennis felt a stab of dread as he watched, paralyzed, afraid that this creature might snap his mother like a twig or rip her to shreds without any effort and there was nothing he could do about it. He turned to Jenny to ask her what she thought and realized that she was headed up the stairs.

After a few minutes Jennifer pulled herself away from Vincent and, turning around, she threw her arms around Jacob, nearly knocking him over. Hugging him just as fiercely she cried, "Thank you , Thank you , Thank you." Totally overcome with this demonstration of gratitude Jacob could only awkwardly pat her on the back with his free hand as he tried to blink back the tears, that threatened to flow. With a bit of his usual gruff bluster he tried to say that it was nothing while disparately hanging on to his dignity and his balance.

Watching Jennifer and Jacob, Catherine broke out in a fit of giggles.

Dennis was still dealing with a fear of the unknown and a hint of what, he later realized, was a kind of racial prejudice. How could this creature have been born from his mother? Was he even human? What kind of children would he produce? He glanced over at Catherine then back to Vincent. Could he even produce children with a normal woman? And finally he realized he was jealous of his mother's obvious affection for this thing. He was also feeling a bit resentful that his mother had kept such an important part of her past hidden from him.

After a few minutes, Catherine, with a huge smile, asked, "Jennifer, would you like to meet your grandchildren?" And indicated the stairway. Halfway down, Jenny was approaching carrying two wiggling bundles.

Dennis looked at Catherine in shock then looked over at Jenny as she approached. He was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that his mother had given birth to a half man, half lion that was now married to a rich beautiful heiress, but the existence of offspring was something that he had just about rejected as impossible. He felt his mind reeling again as he was learning what it was like to be asked to believe seven impossible things before breakfast.

Catherine took the boy and, watching Jennifer's face for her reaction, handed him to her announcing, "Jennifer, may I introduce you to your grandson, young Jacob Chandler-Wells?"

Jennifer stared down at the child in her arms as she broke into a soft smile. To Dennis and Catherine it appeared as though years of sorrow and regret had just washed away as she held the very unique child. "He's so perfect." She gently stroked the infant's fuzzy cheek. "Vincent he looks so much like I had pictured you might have looked." Then she looked up at Vincent. "When I last held you, you were only an hour or so old, but I have often imagined how you might have looked as a baby. I never forgot you, and I often daydreamed about what might have been." She looked over at Catherine. "I see a little bit of you in him too, Catherine. It's like a miracle." Then she gave the child a kiss on his furry cheek.

Jennifer finally turned back to Dennis, a hint of concern in her eyes. "Dennis, are you okay?" Being careful to properly support the baby in her left arm, she took one of his hands. "There was no way I could have told you about what happened back then. Even your father never knew the whole story." She was looking deep into his eyes hoping for acceptance. Catherine was also now watching him, concern plainly showing on her face.

Dennis finally shook off the stunned paralysis that had overtaken him when he had gotten his first good look at Vincent's face. He was again looking at those deadly looking claws when his gaze was drawn up to those surprisingly warm and human eyes that had looked lovingly at his mother and were now looking at him with a kind of fearful hope. He paused to gather his thoughts.

It was his love for his mother and his love of fantasy and science fiction stories that finally came to his aid, giving him something to work from. As he looked at his mother holding this strange infant, the one thing that stood out to him was the look he had seen on his mother's face earlier, giving him a second anchor to hold on to. He had not seen her smile since his father died. She was happy again and he could see that she wanted him to be happy with her. As he looked again at the baby she held, he had to admit that it was actually rather cute. He could also see the other baby that Jenny was still holding and it looked completely human.

He remembered how as a young only child he had wondered what it would be like to have a brother, like so many of his friends did, but he had never imagined anything like this. He looked again at his mother and he observed the happiness he saw there as she recognized his acceptance. The thought brought a slight smile to his face and he could feel the tears welling up in his own eyes. "Yes, Mother, I'm okay. I think I understand you much better now." He rested his left hand on his mother's shoulder. "I love you, mother."

He looked over at Vincent. "I guess I finally got that brother I always wanted . . . though you are a little different than what I had imagined." There was a momentary pause. Almost timidly he held out his hand. "Brother?"

Vincent reached out, took his hand, then suddenly pulled him in. Vincent simply replied, "Brother!" Next thing Dennis knew he was in the middle of a group hug with Vincent, his mother, Catherine and a wriggling baby.

Jacob and Jenny stood quietly to one side watching the demonstration. Jenny had a grin on her face that looked like it would split her head in half as tears streamed down her cheeks. Even Jacob's normally dour face had softened till there was a smile sneaking across his face and a glimmer of unshed tears lurking in his eyes.

The group hug broke and Dennis caressed the baby Jacob's cheek as Jennifer made soft cooing noises at him.

When Jennifer again looked at Catherine, she was holding the other bundle. "And this little darling is his twin sister." As Jenny took the baby boy, Catherine, with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, announced, "Vincent named her Jennifer. He said that he just liked that name." Catherine handed the baby girl to Jennifer,

Jennifer was momentarily startled by the girls name. Recovering, she looked down at the baby then at Catherine. "Why she looks just like you."

Catherine chimed in. "I think she looks more like my mother, except that she has Vincent's eyes and hair color." Then looking from Jennifer to Dennis and back she amended, "Actually I'd say that Vincent, little Jennifer, and Dennis all have your eyes." Catherine then smiled at Vincent. "As for Vincent's more unique features, a doctor friend of ours thinks that it can only happen in males. He said it was tied to the Y chromosome."

After the babies had been passed around, fussed over and finally put back to bed, glasses of wine were passed around. Vincent offered a toast. "To the return of long lost family members and joyous new beginnings."

Dennis found that he was no longer in turmoil. He had fully accepted the situation and was even beginning to enjoy the novelty of it all. At this point Jennifer mentioned how different this evening had turned out. "When I saw this elegant brownstone and those men, I thought it was all over for me."

Catherine looked up startled. "What men?"

Jennifer explained, "There were four men in a black sedan parked right across the street from your place. I assumed they were waiting for me."

Dennis replied, "That's what all that stuff about running away was about."

"Yes, I noticed them and was wondering why they were there when you started talking about running away." Jenny was looking at Jennifer in surprise. "It drove them clean out of my mind."

A worried look crossed Catherine's face as she stood up. "I'll be right back." She then ran up the stairs.

"Where is she going?" asked Dennis.

Vincent replied, "Probably went up to the roof to take a look." He shrugged.

Five minutes later she came back down stairs and straight to the phone. Although she looked serious, she no longer looked as worried as before. She flipped through a small black book beside the phone, then made a call.

"Hello, Joe, it's Catherine." . . .

"I know it's late and I hate to disturb you, but there's some of Geonelly's men in a car parked in front of my place." . . .

"Yea, I'm sure. I recognized one of his enforcers." . . .

"It might be a good idea to check outside of your place also." . . .

There was a long pause.

"Your place, too?" . . .

"Four of them?" . . .

"OK, thanks, and you be very careful." . . .

"You bet I'm worried. Especially after what happened to you last week." . . .

"And it would probably be a good idea to check on Peterson and Connors as well." . . .

"Don't worry about us. If things get hairy, we'll just hightail it into the tunnels." . . .

"OK. See you Monday."

She hung up the phone.

Catherine went to the front door, checked the lock, threw the deadbolt and turned on the outside access alarms. Then she came back to rejoin the group. "Well, nothing to worry about folks. It's just some hoods that work for a big time gangster we busted two weeks ago. Nice thing about working for the DA office, you can get a fast response from the police." She glanced momentarily back at the door then turned her attention back to them. "Now where were we?"

Dennis looked at her curiously. She had appeared to be very worried a few minutes ago, but now that the men were identified as major gangsters, she seemed totally unconcerned. He shrugged his shoulders. Just one more strange element to this strange evening.

"Don't worry." She responded to his look. "When locked down, this place is nearly impregnable." She grinned. "and if they do break in, we have a very special escape route." She and Vincent both smiled at each other, then turned their attention to their guests. "You know how Vincent was found. Father can tell you what happened next."

Jacob told them about how the newborn Vincent was saved, it had been touch and go for the first couple of days, and how he became a symbol for his community to rally around. He related stories about Vincent's youth and the effects he had on the tunnel community where he was raised and about Devin and Vincent's close friendship. He also regaled them with stories about the escapades Devin and Vincent had gotten into as children. Vincent would occasionally expand on some of the details, sometimes even surprising Jacob. These tales, in particular, produced a great deal of laughter and more than once caused Jacob to shake his head in amazement that they had survived. He told them about Vincent's growth as a leader and protector in the community.

All through this Dennis, could only marvel at how he just kept finding himself going from one incredible revelation , right into another that was even more fantastic.

At this point Catherine took up the narrative with a twinkle in her eye and a smile that lit up her face and warmed everyone in the room. "To begin with, if someone had told me, three years ago, that the day I was brutally attacked, viciously slashed, and left in the park to die, would become a day of celebration for me, I would have had them thrown in the loony bin." Her smile softened as she looked lovingly at Vincent. "But that was the day I met Vincent." Dennis and Jennifer listened with rapt attention as Catherine told them how Vincent had found her, unconscious and dying, in the park and took her down below, saving her life. The story of the attack and those ten dark days she spent below being cared for by Vincent brought tears to their eyes. She told them how she and Vincent even got married on the anniversary of the day they met. She also related some tales about their various adventures together.

Jennifer and Denis were both amazed and fascinated as Catherine explained about how Vincent could feel her emotions through the bond they had. She told them how this meant that he knew when she needed him and he always came to her aid when she was in danger. At this point Vincent added that more often than not it Catherine was more than able to take care of herself, citing more than one example. Catherine told them how over time she began to sense Vincent's emotions through their link as well. She related how their link tied them together and helped them take care of each other. Finally she explained to them about the various ways she and Vincent had found to merge their two worlds together within this brownstone.

"What about your children? What do you plan to do about them?" Asked Jennifer.

"That's actually simple. Little Jacob and Jennifer will be raised in Vincent's world. For children, it's a far safer and more nurturing environment than anything that can be found in this world. There are dozens of children living down there already so they'll have plenty of friends and playmates. Their schooling is very informal but it includes all of the basics, as well as classical art, literature and music. Any child can go as far beyond the basics of any subject as they wish. Through Jenny we can usually get any book they might wish to read." She paused a moment in thought. "You've heard of the famous ballerina Lisa Campbell, haven't you?"

Jennifer thought for a second. "Yes, of course. Bill took me to see her about ten years ago when she performed in Los Angeles. She was magnificent. I remember reading about her not to long ago. I read that she had testified against some big time gun runner and was now based here in New York and is back on the stage again."

Catherine continued. "She was raised in the tunnels below. In fact, she and Vincent were childhood friends." Catherine smiled at the surprised look on Dennis and Jennifer's faces. "There are three girls down there that are currently taking dancing lessons from Lisa." Catherine took Jennifer's hands. "When you see what it's like Below I think you will be amazed. The number one rule down there is always give help whenever and wherever it's needed."

Suddenly everyone noticed red and blue flickering colors on the walls. The lights were coming from the front windows. After a few minutes some yelling was heard followed by screeching tires and a crash. Catherine ran up stairs for several minutes then came back down just as the phone rang. She answered the phone.

"Hello." . . .

"Oh yea, we're fine here, Joe. The police showed up before they could start anything." . . .

"Oh my. You and Sammy are OK though?" . . .

"That's good, I'm glad. Tell her I have some very interesting news for her at lunch Monday." . . .

"Yea Vincent and the twins are just fine." . . .

"That's no problem. The twins are asleep and he'll just go hide with them 'til they leave." . . .

"Don't give it a second thought. We'll have a lot to talk about Monday." . . .

There was the sound of knocking at the door.

"Gotta go, the police are knocking. Bye."

She hung up the phone and turned to Vincent. "Better get upstairs 'til I can get rid of them." Waiting just long enough for Jenny and Vincent to get up the stairs with the babies, she opened the door.

There were two policemen standing there. "Good evening Miss Chandler. Is everything OK here?"

"Yes, officer we're all just fine," Catherine replied then smiled in surprise as she recognized Detective Diana Bennett coming up the steps behind the officers.

"May we come in just to be sure?" The second officer requested.

"Well, I suppose it will be OK." Catherine stepped back and let the two officers in.

Diana stepped up to the two policemen and flashed her ID at them. "I'll take care of this. You two go ahead and get those perps back to the station.

With a nod and a "Yes, detective." the two officers reluctantly turned and left.

After closing the door, Catherine relaxed with a sigh. "That was close." Then she smiled at Diana. "How did you end up over here?"

At that moment Jenny came down the stairs. "Cathy, I love what you've done to that room." Then she noticed Diana. "Oh, hello, Detective."

Diana responded, "I heard the report on the radio and decided I might be of some use in deflecting too much curiosity from New York's finest." She smiled. "Is Vincent around?"

Looking surprised at Diana's question, Dennis asked, "You know about Vincent?"

Diana replied, "He saved my life once." Then she took a second appreciative look at the unknown man. There was something about him that seemed to draw her attention.

Jennifer asked, "What did happen to Vincent and the children?"

"Simple. The outer door to the nursery is designed to look like the end of the hallway when it's closed. Cullen and Mouse, friends from below, built it. Would you like to see?"

Catherine led Dennis and Jennifer up to the second floor. Diana remarked that she had already seen it but followed anyway. She seemed to be more interested in Dennis. Jacob and Jenny said they would stay downstairs in the parlor. On the second floor there was a large alcove with three bedrooms opening off of it. Behind the stairs were cabinets and drawers built into the wall. Catherine led them to that wall, opened one of the cabinets and moved something inside. When she closed the cabinet door, the entire end wall with the built in cabinetry, slid aside exposing another six feet of hallway and a two more doors. She led them through the right hand door into the nursery where Vincent sat in a rocking chair surrounded by Disney cartoon characters and reading a book of children's nursery rhymes. The twins were sound asleep in their cribs.

"It's safe to come out now," Catherine laughed.

Jennifer couldn't help smiling. Such a powerful, fearsome creature in such a childlike setting was so adorably amusing. Dennis was also left speechless. Of all the incredible things he had been exposed to today, the scene before him easily beat them all.

They all went back down to the living room where Diana was introduced to Dennis and his mother. Dennis found himself quite attracted to this redheaded police detective. As they were standing by the coffee table talking, Catherine and Jenny both noticed that there was a definite attraction between Diana and Dennis.

After they had told each other a little about themselves Diana asked, "So how are you related to the Tunnel community?"

Jenny and Catherine both cracked up, causing Diana and Dennis to look at them curiously. Finally Catherine got her laughter under control. "Diana, let me introduce you to Vincent's half brother, Dennis."

Diana collapsed into the sofa, stunned. After a few seconds, she began to laugh until tears came from her eyes. At Jennifer's inquiring glance, Catherine told them that Diana had often lamented how none of the guys she met could measure up to Vincent and why couldn't he have had a brother available to introduce to her.

That revelation caused both Diana and Dennis to blush. This led to a little good natured ribbing from Vincent, Catherine and Jenny.

With Dennis on the sofa, between Diana and his mother, and the other three chairs occupied by Catherine, Jenny, and Father, Vincent had to retrieve a chair from the dining room to join the group. The next several minutes were spent bringing Diana more or less up to date, including an abridged version of the diary pages, that were now sitting on the coffee table. Dennis did most of the talking.

Diana and Jenny both related how they had been introduced to Vincent and the tunnel community. Jenny went into great detail about Catherine and Vincent's wedding.

Finally Vincent addressed Jennifer. "There are two things that I'm very curious about."

"What do you want to know?" Jennifer looked expectantly at Vincent.

"What happened after you collapsed in the middle of that bridge?" Vincent asked as he picked up the pages from the table. He read aloud the last lines on the torn last page. "That's where the pages end and I'm dying to know what happened next."

_**Continued in part 4**_

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	4. Family

**A Mother's Diary**_**  
**By Thomas Mc_**  
**

* * *

**Part 4 - ****Family**

Vincent's question took Jennifer back to that morning, so long ago, when her endurance had finally given out and she had collapsed on that bridge from exhaustion, both physical and mental. She smiled softly as she remembered what had happened next. Just when it seemed that after hours of pain and struggle she had reached the end of the line, fate had taken a hard left turn into a whole new beginning. To this day she still marveled at the incredible way her life had changed in that one tiny instant in time.

As the others looked at her, wondering at the reason for her enigmatic smile, she started to explain. "I was finished, spent, defeated. My will to survive had melted away with the last of my strength. I knew that I was going to die right there on that bridge while all those cars whizzed by, ignoring me. That's when a very nice young man saw me and pulled over to see if he could help. I told him that I was being chased by some very bad men and had to get as far from the city as possible. He told me that he was headed west and would be happy to give me a ride out of the city. He wrapped me in a blanket that he pulled out of his trunk and gave me some hot coffee from a thermos.

As he pulled out he told me that, first, he had to make a quick stop at a friends place in Brooklyn to return the camera he had borrowed, then he would take me as far from the city as I wanted. I asked him if we were going the wrong way because I thought that Brooklyn was supposed to be to the east, on Long Island. He informed me that we were currently on the Brooklyn bridge. That's when I realized how lost I had become. He even teased me a bit about not noticing that I had been facing the sunrise when I was on the bridge. It didn't take us very long to reach his friend's place and I stayed in the car while he ran inside with the camera. When he came back out he had two sandwiches and a small carton of chocolate milk."

Jennifer paused as she searched back through her memories. "We drove southwest the rest of that morning. I felt that I owed him an explanation for the terrible state I was in. I told him that the bad men chasing me had planned to take my baby when it was born and then kill me. I told him that I had barely escaped before the baby's birth and how when I could no longer run I ended up in an alley where my baby had been born. I explained that the child had died at birth and I was forced to abandon my stillborn child in that alley." She looked at Vincent, a hint of sorrow in her eyes. "I believed I was telling as much of the truth as I thought he would understand. I truly believed that you had died."

She sighed then continued. "After about three or four hours, the young man stopped somewhere in Philadelphia and took me to a doctor, because I was so weak and he was worried about my condition. The doctor said I was suffering from dehydration, exhaustion and mild anemia. He gave me two shots, one was vitamins, I forget what the other was, and told me to drink lots of water. Then, before leaving the room, he told me to wait there for a while and rest. There was something about that doctor's attitude that worried us so we slipped out of there as quick as possible, before they could ask us any more questions. The doctor had taken my wet clothes out of the room and all I had on was the hospital gown he gave me, and the young man's blanket. I caught a glimpse of the doctor on the phone in his office as we slipped out the door."

Jennifer stopped when she heard Catherine mumble under her breath, "Of course, that would have to be it."

"What is it Catherine?" both Jennifer and Vincent asked simultaneously.

"Hold on just a minute." Catherine jumped up. "I'll be right back." She ran up the stairs. Everyone was looking at each other, puzzled, as they heard the sound of file drawers opening and closing. A few minutes later Catherine came back down with a couple of sheets of paper in her hand and a pleased look on her face.

"What's that?" Jennifer asked.

Catherine smiled. "Something I think you might find interesting. I'll show it to you later. Go on with your story."

Jennifer looked at her for a moment, shrugged then continued. "Where was I? Oh, yes. We drove all the rest of that day. At dinner time he stopped in a small town and got us two hotel rooms for the night. He told them that I was his half sister. Then he went out and bought me a couple of changes of clothes. The next morning he asked me if I would like to go all the way to Arizona with him. I thought, it would certainly get me far away from New York and this guy was actually very nice to be with, so I said OK."

She smiled, more to herself than to them. "That young man was named Bill McCormick and by the end of that five day drive, to his home in Arizona, we were very much in love. Bill's parents took me in and helped me get settled. A year and a half later, right after I turned nineteen and Bill graduated from college, we were married. Bill's parents welcomed me into their family. His father was the one who gave me away at our wedding." She looked a bit wistful. "both of his parents were in their eighties when they passed away a few years back."

She paused again, the look on her face became a little more serious. "For a long time I was afraid to have any children because I had no idea what Julian had done to me or how it might effect any other children that I might have. I told Bill, before we were married, that I was afraid that any children I had might also be stillborn. I never told him anything more specific about it than that. I really didn't want to go through the same heart break of losing another child." She looked at Vincent. "I never really got over losing you." She shook her head. "I admit that I was also afraid of what Bill might think if I had another child like the one I lost. Bill was very understanding of my fears and never pushed. He told me that it didn't matter, it was me that he wanted." Her eyes had begun to glisten with added moisture. She wiped her eyes with a handkerchief that Dennis handed her then continued. "After about ten years Bill eventually got me to talk about my desire to have a child of my own and he finally convinced me to take a chance. The result was that Dennis was born." She smiled fondly at Dennis. "I have always been so glad that he finally talked me into it. but I was never willing to tempt fate a second time though, so Dennis was an only child."

She paused for a few moments before continuing. "That diary was begun six months after we reached Arizona. It was Bill's idea, as a way to deal with my nightmares. I always kept it locked up and, as far as I know, you are the only ones who have ever read any of it. I burned the diary shortly after Dennis was born. The nightmares had long since gone away and I was afraid that the diary's existence could endanger Dennis. I'm surprised that any of it survived." She smiled at Vincent. "Considering the results, I'm now glad that it did. I might never have found you otherwise." Jennifer took a sip of her wine. "I wish Bill could have met you. He was as big a science fiction fan as Dennis." Her look became wistful. "I will always wonder what he would have made of all this."

Vincent had grabbed up the last torn page from the coffee table and flipping it over handed it to Jennifer. "I think you might want to see this."

Jennifer stared at the supposedly blank back side of the page for a moment then her eyes grew wide and began to tear up as she perceived eight barely legible words and a date that had been written there.

"Mother what is it?" Dennis accepted the page that Jennifer silently handed to him. With a sharp intake of breath he looked up at the rest of them. "It's Dad's handwriting. It says 'I knew and I will always love you' and the date is a two years before I was born." He thought hard for a moment. "I remember now. I found these pages mixed in with some of Dad's personal papers. Mother had never gotten around to going through them so they were just mixed in with the rest of her stuff."

Jennifer was looking at the rest of them in a daze. "Bill already knew the whole story when he was trying to convince me to have children . . . and he never let on," she remarked, more to herself. "I wonder how long he knew?" As the others watched quietly, she slowly pulled herself back together. Finally she shook herself and looked up at the others. "He never told me. Whenever I tried to talk to him, to prepare him, about possible problems with my pregnancy or the baby, he would change the subject." That faraway look again crossed her face as she was reliving the past. "The one time I did manage to tell him that the baby might be deformed or very different, he told me that he didn't care if it had gills or a tail, he would still love it."

Vincent commented. "That message was meant for you. He probably wanted you to find it after he was gone. He wanted you to know that he had known all about what happened to you and how much he loved you regardless of it."

Jennifer looked at Vincent then looked at the page as she gently set it with the others. After a short time, lost in her memories, she returned to the present and looked back at Vincent. "What was the second thing you wanted to know?" She was again looking expectantly at Vincent.

Vincent took a moment to mentally shift gears, then looked down at his hands, took a deep breath, looked up at Jennifer and spoke. "I guess what I want to know is . . . is what happened to you? . . . how did I come to be . . ." Vincent raised his hand towards his face. ". . . what I am?"

Jennifer gave a deep sigh. She had obviously been waiting for this question to come up. She looked around at every one there, then back to Vincent. "I'm not sure I can give you much help there. I had just turned seventeen and was living on my own when I answered an advertisement for a nanny to Julian's son, Gabriel. Julian spent most of his time in a lab that he had built on the estate grounds. I had been working there for about six months when they drugged me." She tried to dig into her memories. "I don't know how long they kept me doped up. I vaguely remember being strapped to a table in some kind of laboratory and them doing some terribly painful things to me but I don't really know what they did. About two months after I came back to my senses I found I was pregnant. I finally escaped just hours before you were born. That's all I can really tell you. The only thing I know for sure is that I am your biological mother. Your eyes prove that." She shrugged. "I'm sorry I can't give you more. I know that Julian kept journals. If you got your hands on those you might find your answers but I would rather you remain in ignorance than have you fall into the hands of that demon son of his. To this day I live in fear that Gabriel might find me and come after me again."

Catherine spoke up. "You don't have to fear Gabriel any more, Jennifer." She took Jennifer's hand. "Gabriel died two years ago when his house burned down."

Jennifer looked at her in surprise. "How do you know this?" There was the faintest hint of hope in her eyes.

"About two years ago I was kidnapped by Gabriel. He wanted a journal of his that had come into my possession. It contained details of his entire criminal empire, including a list of all the corrupt officials he had in his pocket. When he had me investigated, he also figured out that there was a connection between me and the Creature of Central Park, A.K.A, Vincent."

Catherine chuckled, shaking her head at the reference. "You know, I remember discussing that urban legend with my friends at college. I remember saying that such a creature could not possibly exist." She gave one quick laugh as she looked at Vincent. "And now I'm married to him." With a shake of her head, she brought herself back to the subject. "Anyway, Jenny, Vincent and Diana invaded the place and rescued me and Joe. In the fight, a fire started and the entire house burned to the ground, including, probably, Julian's journals."

Jennifer looked cautiously hopeful. "But are you sure he's dead? Did you see it?"

Catherine shook her head reluctantly. "I didn't really see him die. I was pretty drugged up by then and barely remember some of the questioning. I think Jenny may have already gotten me out of there by then." She looked over at Jenny, who nodded confirmation.

Diana spoke up. "I shot him during the fight. He had just shot Joe and was about to finish the job. I'm a pretty good shot and I put one right through his black heart. Believe me, Gabriel's dead." Diana looked around to see everyone looking at her, shocked by the hostility in her voice. She shook her head. "Sorry, When we went in, I was already aware that he was responsible for a lot of the pain and suffering in this city, but that was nothing compared to what we discovered afterward. He was pure evil, just like his father."

Vincent continued. "I saw his dead body, shot through the heart, when I entered the burning room. I knew he was already dead."

"One question, who is Joe?" Dennis asked.

Catherine smiled. "Joe is Joe Maxwell, New York District Attorney. He's the one I was talking to on the phone earlier about those mobsters."

Dennis looked stunned at this newest revelation. Diana noticed his look and gave him a playful nudge in the ribs. "Our Vincent has a lot of connections."

Jennifer looked puzzled. "But why was there nothing in the papers about his death?" She looked at Catherine. "I was always on the lookout for anything about Julian and his son."

"We kept it out of the papers." Catherine smiled. "We didn't want word to get out until we had brought indictments against all the government people that he had corrupted. It was absurdly easy to do since even his own organization did not know where he lived."

Diana jumped in. "That's true. I had been after him for a couple of years and couldn't locate him. I had no idea that Gabriel was in that place when we invaded it. Imagine my surprise when we busted into that room and there he was, big as life and up to his ass in major kidnappings." She chuckled. "For a moment I thought I was dreaming . . . then all hell broke loose."

Catherine took over. "The tremendous amount of publicity generated by all the corruption trials, that journal produced, pushed the estate fire to the background and it was forgotten." Catherine squeezed Vincent's hand. "Since Vincent was so heavily involved in that event, I was happy to let it be forgotten."

Vincent looked down at the diary pages as he picked them up from the table. "One more thing."

"Yes?" Jennifer responded.

Vincent looked into her eyes. "Would you mind, too much, if I kept these pages?" He paused. "I find that they have become very precious to me."

Jennifer smiled and touched the hand holding the pages. "I can't think of anyone I would rather give them to. Of course you may have them."

Dennis, who had appeared to be distracted, suddenly remarked, in a startled voice, "Of course, the Creature of Central Park!"

Everyone looked over at him in surprise. "What is it?" Diana asked.

"I just remembered. Shortly after I moved to New York, Dad called me and while we were talking, he asked me if I had heard about a local urban myth that had to do with some kind of creature that haunted the Central Park area. I told him that I had heard someone mention the Creature of Central Park but nothing specific. Then he asked me to keep my eyes and ears open for any mention of that particular urban legend or anything that might be related to it and let him know if I ran across anything." Dennis looked around, a light of discovery in his eyes. "I sent him a few tabloid articles that I ran across and relayed a couple of rumors I encountered." Dennis was looking at his mother now. "When I asked him why he wanted them, he told me that he was working on a very special surprise for my mother."

Catherine spoke into the resulting silence. "He must have suspected that the stories meant that perhaps the infant had survived after all and he had been trying to track him down. Jennifer, he was trying to find your lost child for you."

Jennifer stared at her in surprise. Then she was struck by the observation that Catherine was still holding some papers in her hands. She recovered her composure. "You were going to tell me about those." she said, pointing to the pages in her hand.

Catherine looked momentarily startled. "Oh, I was so engrossed in all these new revelations that I forgot." She looked down at the papers in her hand. "This first one is a thirty-five year old dispatch from Philadelphia." She handed the first page to Jennifer.

Jennifer looked at the page. It said to be on the lookout for two teenagers traveling together in a dark blue sedan of unknown make and model. They were described as a boy about nineteen or twenty years of age and a girl seventeen years of age. It contained a reasonably accurate physical description of both Bill and herself. The page stated that if found they were to be held for questioning in a possible newborn abandonment case. It also stated that the two teens were thought to be headed towards New York.

When Jennifer looked up from the dispatch. Catherine handed her the second sheet. "This is the original Philadelphia police report."

Looking through the report Jennifer learned that the doctor's receptionist had seen them pull away in Bills car, unaware of the doctor's suspicions, and could only remember that it was dark blue and headed north. The doctor had estimated that it had been approximately twelve hours since the birth. The police had put out a bulletin but nothing had ever come of it.

Jennifer chuckled. "when we left that doctors office we were a little bit worried and had gone several blocks before we realized we were going the wrong way and turned around. I remember asking Bill who was lost now."

Jennifer looked at Catherine, clearly intending to ask her about why she had the reports, but Catherine beat her to it. "The explanation is simple. A few years back, Vincent had been told by a very evil man that his birth had killed his mother. Vincent tried to ignore the horror stories that man told him but he just could not rid himself of the fear that it could happen to me. When we first got married I did a search of all police and hospital records for New York. It took me several weeks, using every spare minute I had available. I was searching for evidence, one way or the other, about the fate of Vincent's mother. I never found anything conclusive. But I also never found any evidence that those stories of his were true. I didn't realize at the time that this was the proof I was looking for. I finally just put all the report copies I had collected away in my files." She shrugged. "I guess I just hoped that some day, some evidence would show up to lead me to . . ." Catherine smiled and gestured towards Jennifer. ". . . you."

"Of course." Diana spoke up. "That's what you were looking for those three days you spent rifling through my old files."

"Yes, it was. Your department had the most complete records besides the police and I knew that you wouldn't take official notice of my search or require an explanation." Catherine smiled her gratitude at Diana.

Jennifer asked, "What will you do now? Are you going to . . . uh . . . close the case?"

"I can't actually close the case because people will ask why." Catherine shook her head. "It will just have to remain one of many unresolved cases, but I thought you might be interested in seeing it. It's also a good thing you and Bill slipped out like you did that day or things could have turned out much different." Catherine handed Jennifer the last page. "This came attached to the original police report."

The third page was a follow-up report about the doctor being questioned by two New York detectives that had turned out to be bogus. Jennifer looked up from it in surprise as Catherine continued. "I would lay good odds that those fake detectives were Julian's men. Fortunately, you were both long gone by then and there were no clues as to where you might have disappeared to. I actually found several such reports of fake detectives asking questions in similar cases."

Noticing the time Catherine mentioned it to the rest. "It's getting pretty late. You're all welcome to stay the night. We have three currently unoccupied guest rooms available."

Jennifer spoke up. "I don't want to impose . . ."

"Don't be silly." Catherine responded. "You're both family now." She laid her hand on Vincent's arm. "We would both love to have you over. We can spend the weekend getting to know each other. And I know how much Vincent would like spending time with his mother and his brother."

Jacob spoke up. "That is a very good idea and tomorrow morning I will show you where Vincent grew up and introduce you to some of his friends."

Catherine glanced over at Jacob in surprise. She had not expected him to be so quick to invite them below. But then again she had noticed that Father had been very deferential towards Jennifer. In fact, there had been some very interesting undercurrents running through the latter half of the evening.

"Then it's settled." Catherine stated, brooking no descent.

Everyone agreed they were tired and accepted her invitation. Catherine showed them to their guest rooms. Jenny and Diana in the first bedroom, Father and Dennis in the second bedroom, and Jennifer in the third bedroom. As every one retired for the night Catherine thought that this had been a very interesting day and tomorrow should be even more so.

Sometime around the middle of the night, Catherine woke up and went downstairs wanting to get something sweet to drink. As she approached the bottom of the stairs, she caught the sound of voices speaking quietly. She peered into the dining room and saw Dennis and Diana sitting at the table talking quietly, their heads close together. Smiling to herself, she went back up to bed. She was interested in seeing how long this one would last. She hoped that this time Diana had finally found what she was looking for. If things worked out She might just be welcoming Diana into the family sometime in the future.

_**Continued in Part 5**_

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	5. The Tunnels

**A Mother's Diary****_  
_**_By Thomas Mc_

* * *

**Part 5 -**** The Tunnels**

Jennifer awoke in unfamiliar surroundings. There was a moment of panic, 'They had found her!', then she became aware of another person in bed with her. She rolled over and was confronted by the sleeping form of her son's supervisor Jenny Aronson. Her fears melted away as she took in the elegant bedroom that surrounded her and memories of last night all came flooding back. Her first born child, that she had thought died at birth thirty-four years ago, was **alive**! Not only had he survived, but he had actually grown to impressive maturity, married a very beautiful woman, produced two incredibly cute offspring and was apparently doing quite well for himself.

She lay there quietly taking it all in and reveled in the memories of last night's incredible events. Over and over that first moment when she had embraced Vincent replayed in her mind. If not for the solid evidence of the elegant bedroom around her and the soft comfortable bed beneath her, she would have been convinced that it all had been a dream.

Then a thought hit her; she had gone to sleep alone last nigh. Jenny had been in one of the other bedrooms with that female police detective, Diana. How had she ended up in here?

~ o ~

Dennis yawned and stretched. Had last night really happened? Had he really found out that the Creature of Central Park was real . . . and his half brother? Then his mind turned to the other incredible event of last night. Had he really spent half the night talking to that pretty redheaded detective? He rolled over to see that same pretty redhead asleep in the bed beside him. It was all real!

Last night he had been driven downstairs by Jacob's snoring. Diana was already in the dining room indulging in a midnight snack when he got there. They had been sitting there and talking for at least an hour when Jenny had come down. She had grabbed a light snack and they had all talked for about a half hour. When Jenny had finished her snack she had told them that she was going to switch rooms so that his mother wouldn't wake up alone in a strange place. Dennis would swear that there was a knowing smirk on her face as she headed back upstairs.

After another hour or so somehow he had ended up going back to Diana's room with her. He reached out to touch her just to reassure himself. She was warm and beautiful and real. They had not actually made love last night but they had certainly made out and there were no doubts about how attracted they were to each other.

Diana opened her eyes, looked over at him and smiled. "So you're not a dream after all." She commented as she reached out and touched him. "I've never been accused of being shy but I've never fallen for a guy this quickly before." She chuckled. "Cathy will never let me live this down when she finds out."

"Cathy?" Dennis asked.

"Catherine. Most of us that know her call her Cathy." Diana relied with a smile. "I have heard that most of those that live down in the tunnels call her Catherine."

"You seem pretty sure that she'll find out." Dennis remarked curious.

Diana laughed. "In this house?" She moved closer to him. "I'm convinced that Jenny has to be psychic. You don't really think she switched bedrooms just to keep your mother company did you? Also Vincent can sense the emotions of any person in the room with him . . . I suspect that his range may be much greater." She blushed and smiled shyly. "If he didn't get a hint of what we were doing last night, it's only because he was sound asleep or he was engaged in similar activities at the time." Diana cuddled closer entwining him in her legs and smiling mischievously. "Speaking of which . . ."

This time they did.

~ o ~

Catherine awoke to the feel of Vincent nibbling on her ear. "Good morning my love." He whispered. "Ready for an interesting new day?" He asked. He was now nibbling on her neck as his hand wandered along her thigh. His other arm that was underneath her pulled her in close against his body.

Catherine giggled. "More interesting than you know. Any bets on how long before Diana hooks up with Dennis." She ran her hands through his soft sensuous fur. She was feeling pretty frisky this morning and apparently so was Vincent.

"It's a sucker bet. They already have." He chuckled as his hand approached her breast. "I caught a hint of it last night when I was feeding the twins." He kissed her shoulder. "As a matter of fact they are connecting again as we . . . reconnect." He captured her mouth with his and all other concerns went away.

~ o ~

Jacob stirred in his bed. It took him a moment to realize where he was. This was not the first time he had slept in this room, yet it always took him a few seconds to reorient himself to his surroundings. Though Catherine had gone out of her way to make this particular bedroom comfortable for him, thirty odd years spent Below had left its indelible mark on him to the point where he could never be truly at ease when Above.

The events of last night came flooding back to him and he realized that he was the only one in the bedroom. Dennis must have already gotten up. For a while he mulled over what had happened yesterday and smiled. The look in Vincent's face when he had held his mother for the first time was a memory that Jacob would cherish for the rest of his life. He carefully filed that image away, right next to the look in Vincent's eyes the first time he saw his newborn children and the picture of Vincent and Catherine exchanging their wedding vows.

Jacob found that he was actually looking forward to introducing Jennifer to all of Vincent's friends. His mind wandered back to his first impressions of her. He had been surprised at how tiny she was. She couldn't be more than five foot, maybe five one. She was perfectly proportioned for her height. All in all a very fine looking woman. He kept seeing her eyes, the mirror of Vincent's deep blue. He misted up as he again replayed the first meeting between mother and son in his mind.

Jacob decided that he should probably go Below ahead of the rest and prepare the community before Jennifer came down. He wanted to make sure that, when they finally met her, everyone would already know the true reason why Vincent had been left where Anna had found him. He wanted no uninformed recriminations to spoil what should be a joyous occasion. With that decision settled he got up and prepared for the day.

When Jacob entered the kitchen Jenny and Jennifer were already there cooking up some breakfast. He had noticed the time as he had passed through the parlor. It was already past ten. "Where is everyone else?" He inquired as he appreciatively inhaled the delicious aroma of breakfast cooking.

"Good morning Father." Jenny smiled at him. "Well I suspect that our favorite couple is upstairs being a couple." She grinned as Jacob cleared his throat. "And Diana and Dennis are probably upstairs becoming a couple." She laughed as Jennifer blushed. "Now why don't you go help Jennifer with the cooking while I get the table set for breakfast."

~ o ~

Catherine and Vincent entered the dining room to find Jenny putting the finishing touches on the table. She looked up at them and smiled. "Good morning you two. Breakfast is just about ready." At that point Father came out of the kitchen, his cane in one hand and a large plate of scrambled eggs in the other.

"Just put that in the center, Jacob." Jennifer told him as she entered carrying a plate piled with toast in one hand and a platter of bacon in the other.

As they finished putting the food on the table, Diana and Dennis came down. "Sleeping late?" Catherine remarked. They both blushed as they became the center of attention. Jennifer's eyes were fixed on her son in contemplation. She had noticed her son's obvious interest in the female detective last night and knew they were attracted to each other. Obviously something had happened last night that had produced a serious shift in their relationship. Though it had been rather sudden she had to admit that she did like Diana and they did look pretty happy together right now.

They all took their places at the table and soon everyone was discussing the plans for the day while they enjoyed breakfast. It turned out that Jennifer was an excellent cook.

Just about the time they were finishing up, a small decorative lamp over by the spiral staircase flickered a couple of times. Catherine jumped up and sprinting over to it flipped a switch then returned to the table. "It seems we are about to have company." Then she popped the last piece of toast into her mouth. Less than a minute later a young woman dressed in layers of patchwork clothing came bounding out of the kitchen.

"Jamie, what brings you up here this morning?" Catherine asked.

The young woman gazed curiously at Jennifer and Dennis as she replied. "I found a note beside my bed this morning telling me that you would want me to come up and baby-sit this morning." She reached over and snagged the last uneaten piece of bacon off the platter.

"I sent a message down last night after I fed the twins." Vincent told them. "Seemed like a wise move."

"That was a wonderful idea, Vincent." Catherine leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. She then turned to the young woman "If you could watch the twins for us this afternoon, that would be perfect."

"No problem. You know that I love watching the twins." She replied.

Jacob stood up. "I think I will go Below and get everything ready for your visit. We will be expecting all of you for lunch." He turned to Jenny. "Would you mind accompanying me" Though he could get long OK on his own he knew that the trip back down to the home tunnels would be much easier with Jenny to lean on.

Jenny smiled. "I would love to." And linking her arm through his free one they headed into the parlor. She had performed this service on a couple of occasions and she always enjoyed listening to his tales of adventures in the tunnels. She glanced back at Jennifer who was looking back at them. She was willing to bet the farm that within the year it would be Jennifer that would be often found on Jacob's arm. She smiled to herself at that thought.

Jamie glanced after Father and Jenny as they disappeared through the secret doorway in the parlor, then she looked around at those that remained in the dining room. "What's going on?"

"Help us clear the table and we'll explain." Catherine replied.

~ o ~

Despite the relatively short distance from the brownstone to the home tunnels it was still quite a bit of a walk for Jacob and he really appreciated Jenny's support. Most of the conversation during the trip down seemed to center around Jennifer and Dennis. He was particularly interested in what Jenny thought of them.

Once they arrived in the home tunnels, he headed straight to the main pipe chamber where he had Pascal put out an announcement of a full community meeting to be held in the dining chamber in half an hour. The message emphasized that everyone should attend this meeting. Then he and Jenny headed there.

A half hour later Father looked around at the assembled community, his family, and began to explain. "Yesterday a fragment of a thirty odd year old diary was discovered." His gaze swept the room noting the curious looks on everyone's face, then he continued. "From these pages we learned that, thirty-five years ago, Gabriel's father, Julian, kidnapped an innocent seventeen year old girl and used her in some type of strange experiments that made her pregnant. She escaped just as she was going into labor and ended up giving birth to Vincent in that alley behind the hospital where Anna found him."

There was a moment of silence then the reaction hit and everyone was talking at once.

"Vincent's mother?"  
"You know who Vincent's mother is?"  
"What happened to her?"  
"Who is she?"  
"Why did she leave him there?"  
"Is she still alive?"

Jacob held up his hands as he called out over the din. "Everyone please hold on and I will answer all your questions." After the chamber had quieted down, Father then related an abbreviated account of the contents of the diary pages and what Jennifer had told them afterward. With a bit of a grin he finished with. "The woman's name, believe it or not, is Jennifer."

"Does Vincent know?"  
"What did he think about it?" Came from the crowd almost simultaneously.

"Last night Vincent met his mother and his half brother, and they met him for the first time." Jacob told them. "They both spent the night at Catherine and Vincent's home."

"When can we meet them?" William called out from the back of the chamber.

"Vincent and Catherine are bringing them down for lunch and to show them our world Below." Jacob scanned the crowded chamber. "As a young innocent teenager, Jennifer endured a horrible experience, including giving birth under the worst possible conditions to an infant that she thought died only minutes after delivery." He again swept the room with his gaze. "The surprise reunion of Vincent and his mother was a joyous event for both of them. I hope you will all welcome her and her other son with the joy and kindness that we feel she deserves."

He then dismissed the meeting and soon he and Jenny were answering questions about last night's events. William was nearly frantic as he tried to come up with a meal he thought worthy of Vincent's long lost mother and brother. The rest of the tunnel denizens all rushed to get prepared for this last minute big event.

~ o ~

Jamie eagerly quizzed Jennifer and Dennis as preparations were made for the trip below. Jennifer and Dennis just as eagerly quizzed Jamie about her life below and what ever she could tell them about Vincent. Diana hung onto Dennis' arm and occasionally added a comment or two.

"Are you two ready?" Vincent asked.

"I guess I'm ready as I'll ever be." Dennis replied after glancing at his mother.

Diana stepped back and, glancing at Vincent, smiled half heartedly at Dennis. "I'll see you when you get back."

Dennis looked at her in surprise. "Diana aren't you coming with us?"

She shook her head. "I've never been Below and they don't like people coming down uninvited."

Vincent responded. "Consider yourself invited. Dennis bring her along." Vincent held out his arm to Jennifer. "Will you let me accompany you?" She accepted it with a happy smile. Dennis took Diana's arm and, smiling, drew her along.

They entered the parlor and Dennis began to wonder what they were planning. He had seen Jacob and Jenny enter the parlor a little while ago but he had no idea where they went. The only way out of this room, that he could see, was the spiral staircase that went upstairs and the front door. Surely they weren't just going out the front door. The street out front would be very busy this time of day. Catherine went over to the beautifully oak paneled wall and pushed her hand behind the lovely painting that hung there. He heard a click and a five foot wide section of the wall swung silently into the room. Jennifer and Dennis were both surprised to see that there was a passageway running behind the wall. They all entered the passageway and Jamie pushed the hidden door closed behind them.

They descended several flights of stairs and passed through a couple of secret doorways and a short section of utility tunnel. Then they were in very old brick walled tunnels. Soon they were descending a spiral stair that lined an apparently bottomless circular shaft. Dennis looked around in amazement. "So where's the white rabbit?" He remarked.

Vincent glanced over his shoulder. "I'm late. I'm late. For a very important date." And continued downward. Diana, Dennis, Jennifer and Catherine all broke up laughing.

Finally they exited the bottomless shaft through a side tunnel that had been cut through solid rock and they were soon in an intersecting maze of tunnels that had dozens of openings on either side of the tunnels. Most of the openings had tapestries draped across them. Some of the openings were uncovered and appeared to be small apartment like chambers. All during this unique journey The three newcomers had been looking around in total amazement. When the others had talked about 'the tunnels' and 'Below' last night, this was not what Jennifer and Dennis had pictured. They had imagined a network of basements, old steam tunnels and unused subway lines. Diana had developed a slightly better concept of Below in her mind but this was much more extensive than she had imagined. This place was more like something out of a fantastic fairy tale.

Dennis cocked his head for a second, listening. "What is all that tapping noise?" He looked at Vincent, his eyes full of curiosity. "I've been hearing it since we left that vertical shaft."

"Messages." Vincent replied. He listened for a second. "Right now it is a description of the three newcomers that came down with Catherine and me."

Catherine remarked. "Diana has been identified." She chuckled. "And they are remarking on how small you are Jennifer." She waved her hand at the general surroundings. "It's kind of a combination, party line, news service, public announcement, emergency warning system." She listened for a second. "It's really quite effective. I have just begun to really understand it well. For those that live down here the pipe code is like a second language."

Vincent led them into one of the small apartment like chambers. This one appeared to be made of two chambers joined together. The first thing that drew their attention was a semi-circular stained glass window that was above and behind what looked like a large single bed that had been turned into a sofa by the addition of several large pillows and cushions. It supplied the majority of the chamber's illumination. Then they noticed the painting of Catherine and Vincent. Diana had heard of the painting but had never seen it.

Dennis looked closer at the painting then looked at Catherine in surprise. "This is an original Kristopher Gentian?" He shook his head. "I've heard that the value of his paintings has skyrocketed since that art show of his two years ago. This would be worth a fortune"

"It is, to us." Vincent replied, putting his arm around Catherine and drawing her in close.

Vincent looked around the familiar old chamber, then addressed his curious guests. "This room is where I grew up. I shared it with Devin until he left. When Catherine and I were married I added the second chamber. Now we often spend our weekends down here."

Jennifer explored the chamber gently touching different items, a dreamy look on her face. Dennis was particularly interested in the large statue in the corner. Vincent told him about how it had been retrieved from a building that was being demolished. When Jennifer and Dennis both noticed the small mechanical carousel, Vincent told the tale of the time that Devin had taken him Above to give him the most wondrous gift he could have given him and the sad aftermath that had led to his adopted brother leaving the tunnels.

Jennifer spoke up. "I heard so much about you and Devin from Jacob last night. I would love to meet him. Do you think that is possible?"

"That is possible." Catherine replied. "When I go back to work Monday I'm going to send out a few messages to all the contact points I know of. You can bet that the instant Devin hears that Vincent's mother has been found, he'll make a beeline for here just to find out what you're like."

"I just hope we see him before he meets you." Vincent remarked. "He is a bit unpredictable and there is no telling what types of preconceived notions he may have about you."

Catherine nodded her head. "That's right and despite his penchant for giving Vincent a hard time, he is very protective of his furry little brother." She chuckled as she looked up his six and a half foot frame.

_**Continued in Part 6**_

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	6. Introductions

**A Mother's Diary****_  
_**_By Thomas Mc_

* * *

**Part 6 - ****Introductions**

Jennifer and Vincent both became aware of a new presence at the same time and turned to see a young man standing in the doorway staring intently at Jennifer. "You Vincent mother?" There was a combination of curiosity, uncertainty and just a hint of suspicion and belligerence in his voice.

"Yes, mouse, this is my mother." Vincent responded. "Her name is Jennifer, just like our daughter."

"Vincent OK?" He asked, still showing signs of distrust in his attitude.

Vincent smiled. "Yes, Mouse. I'm very happy to have found my mother." He put his arm around Jennifer. "We are all very happy to have found her." He indicated Dennis. "And this is my half brother, Dennis."

Mouse glanced at Dennis. "Like Devin?"

"Yes, Mouse, my brother, just like Devin but closer." Vincent explained. "We have the same mother."

Mouse cocked his head and looked at both of them. Then after a moment he nodded. "OK good, OK fine. Mouse go." With a last quick glance at them both, he ducked his head and was gone.

Dennis looked at Vincent, his eyes full of curiosity. "Mouse?"

Catherine laughed at the look on Dennis' face while Vincent began explaining. He told them about how he had first found the young feral child running wild in the tunnels and took him under his wing. Jennifer and Dennis were very interested in the tale. They were both impressed at how much Vincent had been able to accomplish with the boy.

The next stop was the library chamber. Jennifer, Dennis and Dianna were all fascinated by the place. Vincent told them how he had spent many a happy hours here devouring every adventure book in the chamber. Then he and Devin would go into the lower chambers to recreate the adventures they had just read about. Sometimes they had even dared to go above into the park at night for their adventures. Jennifer was fascinated by the wide range of literature and references contained in the rather eclectic collection of books. Dennis was also interested in the books from a publisher's point of view. He recognized several as being from the publishing company where he and Jenny worked. He also spotted several very old first edition books in the library. There were also a few very old battered books in fairly new bindings. Vincent informed them that one of their helpers was a book binder that specialized in restoring valuable old books for libraries.

~ o ~

Next Vincent lead them to the large chamber full of small beds where most of the children, taken in by the community, slept. While there, several of the children came and went through the chamber. Jennifer and Dennis were amazed at the children's lack of fear. In fact they showed a great deal of affection for Vincent. One little seven year old girl, named Naomi, demanded to be picked up so she could give Vincent a kiss on the cheek, then wanted to know who the newcomers were.

Vincent shifted so that Naomi could get a good look at the newcomers. "Naomi, this is my mother, Jennifer, and my half brother, Dennis."

Naomi looked at them suspiciously. "But they all say you don't have a mother, only Father."

Vincent smiled at her. "No, we just didn't know who my mother was. We only found out about her last night."

She looked at Jennifer. "Are you married to Father?" She asked.

Naomi's question caught Jennifer by surprise causing her to sputter just a bit. The rest laughed and Vincent answered. "No they are not married. Father is my adopted father. My real father . . . died a long time ago." There was an unreadable glitter in Vincent's eyes as he said this that was noticed by the others.

Catherine could feel the conflicting emotions that passed through Vincent at the mention of a natural father. For all they knew he may not have had a natural father in any meaningful sense of the word. They still didn't really know how Vincent had been created. He might have had multiple fathers. There was a good chance that they would never know now that Gabriel's home and all his father's records had been destroyed in that fire.

Naomi cocked her head and looked back at Jennifer. "OK." She responded. "Is she my grandmother?" She asked.

"If you want her to be, she is." Vincent responded.

"OK." She smiled at Jennifer. "Hi Grandmother. I'm Naomi." She announced.

Vincent set her down. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for lunch?" He asked.

"OK." She responded and ran out of the chamber.

Dennis watched her leave then he had to ask. "What was that all about?"

Catherine explained. "When she was five her father was to testify against a part of Gabriel's organization. They killed her whole family. Vincent rescued her and brought her Below to keep her safe." She smiled at Vincent. "At first Naomi thought of Vincent as her own personal guardian monster. Later she started thinking of him as a father figure. A friend in the FBI made me her guardian and is working on arranging for me to legally adopt her through the witness protection system. Once that is done she will officially be our daughter and will come live with us in the brownstone."

Dennis looked around at all the little beds in the large chamber. "So **many** children's beds?"

Vincent answered. "We often take in abandoned children we find on the streets. We give them a stable home with people that understand them and care about them. When they are old enough they are given the choice of staying Below or moving in with one of our helpers Above." He looked around at all the beds. "There are a lot of lost children on the streets Above."

Catherine added. "Those children that they have taken in and helped have usually done very well as adults." Catherine glanced up and appeared to be listening for a couple of seconds then smiled. "The pipes are announcing that lunch is now being served. Is everyone hungry enough to face the mob waiting to meet you?"

"I think I can handle it." Dennis replied.

"I guess it's time I faced your friends." Jennifer added.

They left the children's chamber and headed to the community dining chamber which was very close by. As soon as they exited the children's chamber they could hear the sound of many voices that got much louder as they approached the opening to the dining chamber. Then they were at the doorway and the din coming from the chamber was a lot louder than Catherine ever remembered hearing. The chamber was packed. It looked like it would be standing room only. Then they were noticed and the noise quickly died down as they entered. Everyone was looking at them.

Vincent gave Jennifer a hug and whispered in her ear, "Keep smiling. Make'em wonder what you're up to." She laughed as he escorted her to the back of the room. Vincent was smiling from ear to ear as he quietly nodded to those around him. Behind Vincent and Jennifer came Dennis with Catherine on one arm and Diana on the other. When they reached the back of the chamber people began talking again in a very subdued tone. Catherine heard several comments on how small Jennifer was.

Jennifer, Dennis and Diana all commented on how good the food looked and smelled as they served themselves from the buffet. Once they had loaded their plates and faced the room they spotted Father and Jenny who had saved five places for them. Dennis heard several comments about their eye color as they made their way to the seats saved for them. Apparently that was the one factor that most of the people here found most convincing. They reached their places and Father stood up to introduced each of the newcomers to the crowd. By the reactions of everyone, Dennis gathered that they all recognized Diana's name. Based on what he had heard about her last night, Dennis could understand everyone's reaction. Then they were inundated by many shouts of welcome from the crowded chamber. They all sat down to their meal and the noise soon rose back up to just beyond the normal level on a very busy day.

William came up to them and stood looming over Jennifer, his hands on his hips. As she looked up at the big man he frowned down on her and shook his head. "How a little tiny thing like you produced someone as big as Vincent I will never know." He broke into a sunny grin. "But those eyes don't lie, it's a pleasure to meet you ma'am and I hope we will be seeing a lot of you down here." He then acknowledged Diana. "It's a pleasure to meet you too ma'am. We are all grateful for what you did for our Vincent and his Catherine." He nodded to Dennis. "And you, young fellow. It's nice to meet Vincent's brother." With that he again nodded to everyone and then went to the back of the room where he straightened the buffet table. That seemed to have broken the damn and others began approaching the newcomers in small groups and exchanging greetings along with the occasional question.

Dennis was fascinated by the way these people related to Vincent and his mother. Everyone there cared deeply for Vincent and, by virtue of her apparent relationship to him, they also cared for his mother. It seemed like all three of them were being accepted based on their relationship to Vincent. Jennifer was Vincent's mother. Dennis was Vincent's brother. Diana was the one that helped Vincent rescue his Catherine. He also noticed that Catherine seemed to stand as high in their esteem as Vincent and Father. Father was obviously the leader of this place but Vincent and Catherine were the heart of the community.

Jennifer couldn't help but feel warmed by the regard all these people felt for her very unusual son. She felt happier than she had felt in a very long time. Even the ache of her husbands death was lost in the joy she now felt for her long lost son. Her eyes glittered as she watched her two sons interact with each other and with the people of this unique community.

Long after the food had all been consumed and the plates all taken away the chamber remained crowded. After a while Vincent and Jennifer had gotten so many requests for the story behind Vincent's birth that they agreed to tell the story to them all. Then Catherine revealed that she had brought the diary pages with her. After a quick discussion Jennifer agreed to try to read them to the crowd. When she faced her audience it quickly became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

As Jennifer read the old pages from her journal, it all came flooding back to her and she was back in that time so long ago. Her emotions seem to infuse the words as she read them aloud, giving the story a poignancy that was irresistible. Catherine found Jennifer's reading to be even more moving than when Jenny had read it to them yesterday. A few times Jennifer's voice began to waver as she was overcome by her own emotions and Vincent would reach up to touch her arm then she would regain her equilibrium and continue. When Jennifer finished Catherine gazed out into the dead quiet. There wasn't a dry eye in the room. After a few minutes of dead silence, Father stood up and cleared his throat then began the account of that night so long ago from his prospective. They had all heard it many times before, but now it carried a new dimension, a richness of texture that had not been there before. Even Father seemed to be more emotionally involved in his retelling of it.

After Father finished there were several calls of, "But what happened on the bridge." From the crowd. Jennifer again stood up and told the story of how she was rescued by Bill McCormick. Those that had already heard the story noticed that she was telling it almost word for word as they had heard it last night. She paused at the point right after where she and Bill had made their hasty exit from the doctors office in Philadelphia. Taking advantage of the pause, Catherine stepped in and quickly described what had happened at that doctors office after they had left. Then Jennifer again took up the story and carried it through to the point where she had burned the diary to protect her new son. Vincent stood up and told about how the eight diary pages had turned up in Bill's effects then he read the special message they had found written on the back of the last page.

Then Dennis took over and told about coming to New York and going to work for Jenny. He related about getting his mother to come stay with him after his father's death and his discovery of the diary pages. Jenny took over at this point and told about when Dennis brought the pages to her and her realization of what they meant. She finished up by describing the events of yesterday leading up to and including the long delayed family reunion last night.

Long after the tale was completed the people were thanking Jennifer and Dennis for the story. Diana sniffed as she told Jennifer that that was the most moving story she had ever heard. Then people began rearranging tables, stacking many of them back where the buffet had been and several others left, only to return with musical instruments. Soon the chamber was filled with music. The lunch had turned into an impromptu welcome home party for Jennifer and Dennis. During the party every child in the community insisted on meeting Vincent's mom. She learned a lot about how they viewed their teacher, mentor and guardian.

During all this time Vincent had noticed that Mary had hung in the background. He went over and practically dragged her over to Jennifer and Dennis. "Jennifer, I would like you to meet Mary. For all intents Mary was my mother while I was growing up. In fact she serves as surrogate mother to practically every child down here."

For several moments the two women stared at each other as though sizing the other up as a possible adversary. Most of the room quickly became aware of what was happening as the tension between them, both of whom could lay claim to the position of Vincent's mother, became thick enough to cut.

Finally Jennifer smiled. "I am so pleased to meet you. Vincent told me how much you meant to him growing up. I'm so glad he had someone like you to care for him and be there for him all those times that he needed a mother and I wasn't there." She took a step forward. "I hope we can spend a lot of time together. There is so much I want to learn, so much you can tell me about our very special son."

After a moment Mary took a step forward. "I would like that."

There was another pause then both women embraced and the entire room seem to breath a sigh of relief.

About two hours into the party Rebecca approached them carrying several pages of paper full of writing. She revealed that she had written down most of Jennifer's description of what happened after the bridge. Catherine thanked her and put those pages with the diary pages. The party finally ended with dinner.

~ o ~

After dinner They were taken on a tour through Elizabeth's painted tunnels. The newcomers were spellbound by the paintings and the tales behind them. They were particularly interested in the stories behind the paintings that included Vincent. When they reached the end of the paintings they found Elizabeth busily sketching away at a new picture. As Elizabeth acknowledged their presence Jennifer recognized herself and Dennis standing face to face with Vincent before the brownstone's spiral staircase.

That night everyone slept Below and the next day they visited several of the more spectacular sights of the vast underground realm. Their guest were overwhelmed by the beauty they encountered on their tour. They finally ended up at the great underground waterfall lake. Jennifer commented that it was the most magnificent thing she had ever seen.

Late Sunday evening they returned Above to the brownstone. Catherine told Jennifer and Dennis that they were both welcome in their home anytime. Then before everyone returned to their homes, Catherine invited all of them to have lunch with her on Monday at a popular mid town Manhattan restaurant.

~ o ~

Shortly after Catherine arrived at work Joe called her into his office. They spent most of the morning discussing the latest on the Geonelly case and the outcome of Friday night's incident. Joe looked up from the police report they had been discussing. "Well Radcliffe, Geonelly's gang really blew it this time. They thought the case would fall apart if they took us out of the picture." He chuckled. "Instead they've managed to nail the lid on it even tighter than it already was. They gave us just the opening we needed to go after all of the gangs assets." He shook his head. "Unlike that Gabriel character, Geonelly and his bunch never could think beyond brute force."

Catherine laughed. "They must have driven Gabriel to distraction trying to keep them under control." She shook her head. "After all, that was the weak point where your friend Patrick Sanderson got in and obtained the journal that ultimately lead to the downfall of Gabriel's organization. I think that's also the group that Naomi's father was from as well."

Joe nodded then looked down at his desk. "Unfortunately it led to Patrick's death and the death of Naomi's whole family and almost got you and me killed." He deliberately closed the folder and with a deep breath and a sigh then looked up at Catherine. "That's enough talk on that subject, I think." Then he smiled. "I got a call from Agent McClendon yesterday. He has been trying to get a hold of you all weekend. He told me to tell you to call him on his 'private' line when you get a chance." He cocked his head and raised his eyebrows.

Just then the receptionist stuck her head into Joe's office. "We got another of those anonymous tips over the weekend. This one identified some more of Geonelly's hidden assets." Joe and Catherine both perked up. For the last five months these infrequent tips had been of enormous help in the Geonelly case. Joe took the plain envelope and thanked the receptionist.

Joe had just opened the envelope when he looked up at a knock at his door and his face broke into a huge sunny smile that Catherine knew could mean only one thing. Without even looking over her shoulder Catherine called out. "You're here a bit early for lunch, aren't you Sammy?" She turned around to see that her guess was correct, and smiled at Joe's great love and her newest friend.

The tall, pretty, blond responded. "I know but I've been dying to find out what that news was that you were going to tell me about at lunch today." She came around and put her arm around Joe, giving him a hug. "So spill it. What's the big news?"

Catherine checked her watch. Still a bit over an hour until she was to meet the others for lunch. "Give me just a moment." She ran to her desk to retrieve the folder containing the diary pages from her desk. She had planned to make a copy of them to give to Joe but decided on a better course. When she returned to Joe's office she glanced around then closed his office door.

Joe and Sammy were watching her actions curiously. "What exactly is going on here Radcliffe?" He asked.

Catherine sat on the edge of Joe's desk. "Sammy, you might want to be sitting for this."

Seeing the serious look on her face Sammy sat down on the little sofa. Joe came around and sat next to Sammy and took her hand. This was starting to look serious. He was also very curious about the pages she had pulled out of the folder she had brought back. They looked like they had been torn out of a diary and were covered with writing.

Catherine took a deep breath. "OK, last Friday morning a young man that works for Jenny brought her these pages that he found among his mother's stuff. He had no idea what they represented but as soon as Jenny read them she contacted me." She looked down at the pages. "There's only these eight pages left from the original diary, the rest was destroyed, so I'm just going to read them to you." She looked up at them. "I think you will understand once you've heard what they have to say."

Catherine began reading. Joe and Sammy were both soon deeply engrossed in the compelling narrative. She saw the flint hard look in Joe's eyes at the mention of Julian's name. She could see the sympathy in both their eyes at the description of Jennifer's desperate flight from her tormentor. She heard Sammy gasp and whisper, "Vincent," when she read the part where Jennifer got her first good look at the newborn infant. Joe squeezed Sammy's hand and his eyes widened as understanding dawned. They both now realized that they were hearing a chronicle of Vincent's birth written by his mother.

When she finished there were tears sliding down Sammy's cheeks and Joe's eyes were suspiciously bright. Catherine felt a lump in her own throat as well. She pulled herself together. "The young man that brought this to Jenny is named Dennis and it was his mother that wrote these pages. Her name is Jennifer." Catherine paused to compose herself. "Last Friday night Vincent met his mother and his half brother for the first time."

Joe rubbed at his eyes, looked over at Sammy then looked back at Catherine. "I don't want to throw cold water, but the lawyer in me must ask . . . How sure are you that this is genuine and not some elaborate hoax?"

Catherine nodded smiling at Joe. She had been half expecting this question since Joe had not met those in question yet. "All it takes is one look into their eyes to see that the relationship is genuine." She put the pages back in the folder and stood up glancing at her watch. "We need to get going. We have just over a half hour to get to the restaurant. There you can meet Jennifer and Dennis and judge for yourselves."

As Joe and Sammy entered the restaurant with Catherine, they both spotted Diana sitting at a table with two other people. The young man was quite handsome. The woman was middle aged and appeared so tiny. As soon as they reached the table Joe and Sammy both realized how right Catherine had been. You couldn't look at those unique blue eyes and doubt the relationship. In all his life this was only the third time he had encountered anyone with eyes that very unusual shade of blue.

The next hour was an orgy of discovery as Dennis, Jennifer and Sammy got to know each other. Dennis and Jennifer had already heard a little about Sammy's history including how she got the road rash scar on the back of her arm so they were as curious about her as she was about them. For the most part Joe and Catherine just sat ate and listened. The lunch ended with hugs and plans to get together later.

~ o ~

Walter looked up from the pages, his eyes glittering with barely suppressed emotion. "I heard about these." He gently closed the folder. "I will take very good care of them. I think I will place a blank separator page and a title page between the two sections. Any special requests for the binding cover?"

Catherine shook her head. "Just do whatever you think would be appropriate." She smiled. "I trust your judgment. I just want to have it ready to give to Vincent for Winterfest." She cocked her head. "You will be there, won't you?"

He grinned back. "For a chance to meet Vincent's mother? I wouldn't miss it. Peggy and I will both be there." He stood up holding the pages. "I'll have this ready in plenty of time."

Catherine stood up. "Thanks Walter, for everything." She picked up the small stack of books that he had rebound for the tunnels and left the small shop. Her next stop was Mr. Smyth's book store where she would pickup some books that he was holding for her.

Though he was unaware of it, Mr. Smyth was second only to Jenny as a supplier of books for the tunnel community. He suspected that she passed many of the books she bought at his place on to some of her many charitable interests. As a result he often gave her some very good deals on some of the books he found for her.

He had come across an unopened case containing twenty-five copies of the children's book '**Where The Wild Things Are**' and had set ten of them aside for Catherine. She had already designated eight of them for some orphanages that she occasionally supported. The last two were reserved for the tunnels. Her library at home already contained a first edition copy of the book that her father had bought when she was young.

Mr. Smyth packed all of her books into one of his canvas book bags for her. She paid him, thanked him and left.

~ o ~

Catherine paid the cab driver and was digging in her purse for her keys as she turned toward her front door when she bumped into a man that had come up behind her. She dropped her bags ready to defend herself. "Whoa, Chandler, I'm one of the friendlys." Devin blurted out as she was on the verge of executing a judo throw. "I don't really want to end up on my ass again like last time."

"Devin!" She cried out as she embraced him instead. "You made it. There is so much I have to tell you." She stepped back and Devin picked up her bags and smiled back to her while nodding towards the door. Catherine dug out her keys. "Come on inside." She headed up the front steps with Devin following behind. As she opened the front door she continued speaking. "Vincent is still below but he'll be home shortly, especially after feeling my reactions just now." She pointed to the coffee table. "Just drop those there."

Once they were settled in, Devin immediately came to the point of his visit. "OK, Chandler, what's this about Vincent's mother?" There was both curiosity and wary suspicion in equal portions displayed on his face.

"It turns out that she has been living in Arizona for the last thirty-four years and just this year moved back to New York." Catherine told him. "Her name is Jennifer McCormick."

There was a flash of surprise on Devin's face at her mention of the woman's name then there was flint in his eyes as he continued. "And why did she dump my brother in the trash where he was found?"

Catherine reached out and placed her hand on his forearm. "You have to understand, first of all, she thought that he was already dead at the time and, secondly, she had no choice in the matter. She was seventeen years old and on the run for her life from Julian, the father of Gabriel and just as evil as his son was." She saw surprise on Devin's face and just a hint of sympathy softening the look in his eyes. "She was pregnant because of some bizarre experiments he had been performing on her after he imprisoned her. She finally managed to escape from him just after going into labor."

Catherine could see that she was getting through to him by the softening of the expression on his face. She proceeded to tell him about the diary pages and then related what they contained. She had read them often enough that she could almost quote them verbatim. Vincent arrived home just as she was telling Devin about how Vincent and his newly discovered family had met for the first time.

"Little brother!" Devin greeted Vincent as he approached. "I hear you have added two new people to our family."

"Devin. It's great to see you again." He pulled Devin into a hug. "Yes, a lot has happened recently."

"So when do I get to meet them?"

"Mother is Below with Father and Mary playing with Naomi and the twins." He paused a second. "I think Dennis is out with Diana."

"Gorgeous redhead detective, Diana?" Devin asked with a bit of a chuckle.

"I think that might be a reasonably accurate description." Vincent replied with a grin.

"What was her reaction to the news that you had a brother?" Devin knew about Diana's wish that Vincent had a brother for her.

"They have gone out together." Vincent replied with a shrug.

"Here I thought being your adopted brother would give me a shot with her and you produce a real brother to steal her away." Devin shook his head.

"Why don't you stay for dinner and you can meet Jennifer when she brings the twins home tonight." Catherine suggested.

"That's great." Devin grinned. "I haven't seen the twins since the naming ceremony."

"They've grown a lot since then." Vincent offered.

_**The End  
**_

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


End file.
